Dear City Tech community–as the buds begin to reappear on tree branches and the sun starts to peek out a little more, I am thrilled to write with some updates about this year’s issue of City Tech Writer!
FIRST, I’d like to present this year’s winning banner art, courtesy of Communications Design student Amberly Lima! Amberly’s Art Deco-inspired logo captures the sense of possibility, combined with an appreciation of the past, that fuels so much of the writing in each volume of CTW. Just as last year’s issue featured a banner that (literally) took a leap forward in terms of design, we’re excited to bring Amberly’s fantastic design to life for Volume 17.
SECOND, this year’s issue will, for the first time, feature a short film and accompanying script: COMD student Alvaro Panozo’s “Airpods”! To celebrate this milestone, we will be holding a virtual screening and discussion of the scriptwriting process with Alvaro on Friday, April 8, at 11 AM! Register here for a fun discussion of how the written word guides filmmakers as they bring their visions to cinematic life. After signing up, you’ll see a confirmation page with a link to the event – please copy this down. (You’ll receive a follow up reminder with a link, too.)
THIRD, I am compiling audio, video, and/or written text from Asian faculty, staff, AND students who would like to discuss their experiences of discrimination during the pandemic, and/or their reflections on what it means to be Asian during this time. Narrating our experiences can be a powerful way to process trauma from hate-related incidents, or simply to just inform the broader public about the added stresses that have attended the rise in violence against AAPI.
Video, audio, and text will be compiled into a short documentary that will accompany a reflection on anti-Asian violence in this year’s CTW. We’ll screen this mini-doc at an event in May (date TBD).
If you’d like to participate or you know someone who does, please consider sending in your submission or forwarding the submission form: https://forms.gle/hD7YnBG1p1wct2bG6 Please know that you will have the option of either identifying yourself or remaining anonymous in the video.
FOURTH, if you are a finalist for inclusion in this year’s issue, you should have received an email from me with further details. As always, I am deeply grateful to all who submitted work, and it was difficult to make selections. If you didn’t make it in this year, please do not be discouraged! I hope you’ll consider participating in one of our Spring events and celebrating this year’s issue when it finally goes live.
Best,
Prof. Lucas Kwong
Editor, City Tech Writer Vol. 17
