ISSUE III

2 SIENNA SOLSTICE
ISSUE III 3
LETTER FROM
THE EDITORS
Dear Reader,
A year ago, our team was scrambling for our first issue’s release. We were in the heart of
quarantine, which meant the only way we had been designing our publication was through
FaceTime and the occasional Zoom. In fact, I still haven’t met most of our team in person.
Yet—and this may sound ridiculous since I know virtual interactions can hardly compare to
those in-person—the way I feel around and trust them is pretty special.
When Sienna Solstice first came to be, I identified it as only an intellectual endeavor—a way
to fill the time I had too much of. It isn’t. So while you read, dear Reader, I urge you to recognize
this issue as an exercise for both the mind and the heart.
—Rukan
The release of ISSUE III marks the one year anniversary of Sienna Solstice’s first publication.
We have cycled from the longest days of the year to the shortest and back again, and during
that time, we’ve explored AI art, human and computer-generated poetry, podcasts, films, watercolor,
graphic design, and so much more. We’ve also been fortunate enough to investigate
intention with Annie Finch, form and function with Safia Elhillo, and now the value of tailored
curiosity with Dr. Anjan Chatterjee.
When we first started building this journal, we focused on themes of renewal, connection,
and fluidity. As we approach our second Summer Solstice, we have found fluidity to be one
of the most vital ones—fluidity in the antidisciplinary sense, in which we perpetually open
ourselves to featuring new ideas and expressions of truth, but also fluidity in a more practical
sense. We began this journal ambitious with the intention of publishing on every solstice and
equinox, but after our first issue, we refocused to publishing biannually every solstice. This
adaptation was made to maintain the strength and quality of every issue we produce and to
allow us to stay fluid and flexible. Sienna Solstice started when we were in high school, and
now our team is composed entirely of college students; as we grow, the journal grows with
us, and as we learn, the journal does as well. We are eager to see where we are next summer,
and we hope you are there to witness our growth, too.
SPECIAL EDITION PODCAST
Listen to our Special Edition Podcast where we speak with two individuals who we feel
embody the idea of the antidisciplinary. Join us as we continue exploring the truths that
binds us all.
“The history of science is essentially the
history of knowledge.”
Dr. Paula Findlen is a professor of history
at Stanford University, studying the history
of science, especially in the context of the
Italian Renaissance, in which she describes
“take enormous pleasure in examining a
kind of scientific knowledge that did not
have an autonomous existence from other
kinds of creative endeavors, but emerged
in the context of humanistic approaches to
the world”.
In an exclusive interview with the Sienna
Solstice editors, Dr. Findlen explores the
Leonardo effect, great antisciplinary minds
in history (Kepler, Newton, etc.), Brad Pitt
and A River Runs Through It, pursuing
truth, and what it means to cultivate forms
of internal and external diversity.
“Every scientist is an artist, most of the
time.”
Ikumi Kayama, medical and scientific illustrator,
is the perfect manifestation of her
own statement, using art to communicate
or “filter” obscure scientific concepts. Having
earned degrees in Scientific Illustration
and Medical & Biology Illustration from the
University of Georgia and Johns Hopkins
University, she produces award-winning
work that can be found in textbooks, websites,
journals, and science exhibits.
Join us in conversation with Ikumi as she
walks us through her journey to her career,
starting from her second grade cat drawing
to her experiences in medical school
classrooms at Johns Hopkins.
ISSUE PLAYLIST
Also featured: the ISSUE III Playlist, curated by Editor Rukan.
We suggest you listen as you read.
Thank you for celebrating with us this Summer Solstice.
Warmly,
Kate, Lea, & Rukan