Up
in
the
Air?
By now we have all written and read the phrase: we are living in uncertain times. Designed as a short forum for critical and creative discussion, “Up in the Air” solicits three to five contributors to write a short response to a question. All members of the Venti community are welcome to participate.
These questions inevitably reflect the changing course of our daily experience and how we understand the world and its aerial surroundings. As such, we hope to ground this ever-changing, ephemeral conversation in airy matters.
Select responses will be posted below. All responses should be between 150-500 words. We welcome scholarly, personal, and imaginative approaches. Please email your response and a short bio to venti.journal@gmail.com. You may include up to two images. All citations should be hyperlinked or in parenthetical notes with a short Works Cited. Please do not include footnotes or endnotes.
Please see upcoming questions and deadlines below.
Question One
Responses accepted on a rolling basis between now and October 15, 2020. Please email your responses to venti.journal@gmail.com along with a short bio.
What does it mean to have things “up in the air,” or to understand air primarily as a carrier rather than as a pure element? What does it mean when the air already includes other elements, like seasons (snow, rain, dandelion flakes), or more dangerous particles, like viruses or toxins? How does air, and everything it carries, dictate the way life is lived, and in turn, establish quality of life?
Question Two
Responses are accepted on a rolling basis between now and September 15, 2021. Please email your responses to venti.journal@gmail.com along with a short bio.
How do we know the air?
Question Three
Responses accepted on a rolling basis between now and November 15, 2021. Please email your responses to venti.journal@gmail.com along with a short bio.
How do we feel the air? How does the air feel us?
Question Four
Responses accepted on a rolling basis between now and November 15, 2022. Please email your responses to venti.journal@gmail.com along with a short bio.
How can we recognize the variations of the wind? What are the affective capacities of wind? How can the wind and its capacities shape or otherwise act on narratives?