December 2021

By Yage Wang

While people’s production and entertainment are on hold, 2021 seeks new breakthroughs and innovations in creating literature and drama, that is, the prosperity of manga. While manga is not a new genre, trends in publication and book-to-film crossover, has brought manga (and other types of graphic novels) into the spotlight. Giving credits in particular to Netflix’s marketing, several previously niche anime have gained their spotlights this year. In Japan, they have manga like Attack on Titan, Beasters, and Jujutsu Kaisen. These works challenge expectations for culture in the traditional sense and add artistic, political, and philosophical metaphors. Tell us about your favorite manga or visual artwork for a writing prompt. Please choose one line from this manga that has either surprised or inspired you thoroughly if you would like to. Elaborate your reason for selecting this quote, share with us about your bias.

For instance, my quote will be from One Piece. It takes place in a scene after radical racial conflict, someone needs blood donation: “Whether you hurt somebody, or somebody hurts you, the same red blood will be shed. It hardly seems like a path because it’s a very thin and narrow tube–but it makes its way through the prejudice that makes people fear for each other and blood feuds, so very easily. This is a path towards a very real sun, not some empty wish.”

Happy Writing!

Submit your poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction to The Dazed Starling for possible publication in the Spring 2022 Issue!
Current CBU undergraduate and graduate students, including December 2022 graduates, may submit multiple pieces in multiple categories, but please observe the overall limits below:

FICTION (Including Flash Fiction): 20 double-spaced pages max (5,000 words max)
POETRY: 5 pieces
CREATIVE NONFICTION: 20 double-spaced pages max (5,000 words max)

Submissions should be grouped by category, but please submit each entry as an individual file.

• For example, if you would like to submit 5 poems and 2 short stories:

1. Save each work as it’s own Word/Rtf File with no personal information in the file.
2. Submit the 5 poetry files all at once.
3. Then submit the 2 short stories together.

Each student can submit to each of the categories once, so prep all of your files before submitting.
No personally identifying information should be on the submission file–only the title and the work itself should be included in the file (Word/rtf).

**If you’re not a current student, considering submitting The Dazed Starling: Unbound, which publishes works from current students, alumni, faculty, and friends of the university (including visual art).

By Yage Wang

The campus kindled the tallest pine tree in the front lawn on December 2nd. Students gathered with candles in their hands, witnessing a moment of ritual beauty, a moment of celebration for hope being born on the land. In the season of advent, the important message is usually forgotten. The beauty of advent is about waiting, expecting, and receiving.

Thousands of years before Jesus was born, the Bible had already foretold the befall of this gracious and merciful gift. In Isaiah 7:14, it says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Still, in 2021, it’s surprising that this verse carries profound love and blessings, which is far more than a cold revelation. Similarly, how can we write something hopeful for the future self? How can we manifest this blissful whisper of life to the next year? Amid the pandemic, writing is another expression that gives us time to polish and compose. In this advent, let’s start writing with “This year, ( ) was a great blessing to me. Next year, I hope ( ) will be a goal in my future.” Or, we can jot down our current status for the future self to review.

Dear Readers,

Thank you for joining us for our first Advent edition of the Dazed Starling: Unbound. In years past, we haven’t been able to have both a fall and spring publication, but thanks to our growing program and technological advances, we’re excited to expand the space for creative expression here at CBU.

Advent is the traditional time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the lighting of candles, singing of carols, and reading of Scriptures remind us that the miracle of the Incarnation is rooted in and produces hope, faith, joy, and peace. And that no matter how dark the world may seem, the Light has come into the world, and that Light will not be overcome.

So whether or not you light candles on an advent wreath, we invite you to enter into this season of anticipation with us. We hope these creative works encourage you and help you reflect upon the mystery and miracle of God’s great gift to us.

Merry Christmas,

The Dazed Starling: Unbound Editorial Team

View our digital edition here.