Hello, and Welcome!
We are living in times where the Federal Government cannot be relied upon to support the arts, the humanities, or scientific research that does not fit their narrative. Universities and colleges across the United States are facing the choice between standing with their students and faculty, or folding to the demands of our current Administration. Unfortunately, following in the footsteps of the Federal Government, Central Washington University’s Services and Activities Committee has pulled funding from every literary and journalistic publication we have. The Observer, PULSE, Manastash, and the Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series have found themselves without the financial support that they depend on to deliver accurate journalism, community engagement, and creative expression to the Central Washington University community.
Manastash Student Literary Journal is Central Washington University’s longest running print journal. Since 1990, Manastash editors have been publishing works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art written and created by Central Washington University students. We hope the works inside this journal bring you to question the surety of the reality around you. We hope the works inside encourage you to write your own stories, to tell your tale of the invisible and unseen. And most of all, we hope the works inside push you to support the poets, writers, and artists who are integral to our communities, our families, and our futures.
The unseen exists around us. From the world of dreams to the higher powers one may or may not believe in, the mystical and mythological shadows our every footstep. For thirty-five years, Manastash has published the work of Central Washington University students, edited and published by Central Washington University students. In this issue, we step into the realm of the unseen, the intangible, and the hidden aspects of existence. We explore the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Stepping outside of the bounds of traditional storytelling, we offer readers a journey into the mysterious and the unexplored corners of the human experience.
We would like to welcome all Central Washington University students to submit to our 36th issue, Rebirth. For our next issue, we welcome your poetry, your fiction, your nonfiction, and your art that revolves around change. The turn of the seasons or a soul reincarnated into a new life. The transformation of the body or the revival of a community. As the future of Manastash is in flux, we ask you to consider the stories of the changed, the transformed, and the reborn.