Print Journal – Issue 6
“We believe the well-lived life requires attention — attention to God, attention to the questions of our own hearts, attention to our campuses, attention to our world. However, our world is loud and frenetic and we are hounded by distractions from the noise around and within us. How can we attune our minds, hearts and bodies to the good, the lovely, the excellent, the praiseworthy as a Christian practice?” —Veritas Weekend 2025
What is deserving of your attention? How do you decide the answer to this question? How does our attention—and ignorance—define our values? Why does distraction come so easily at times? And yet at others, our focus cannot be broken?
Whether you choose to write an essay or short story, a poem or book review, perform an interview or draw a depiction of what “noise” means in your life, we want to feature how UChicago students conceptualize and experience noise—and how the Christian life is not one that rejects noise but hears it and responds in truth and love.
Submission Guidelines:
Do…
- Keep the theme, “noise,” and the above questions and ideas in mind when writing your piece
- Review the CANA website (canajournal.com) to see our vision and review past journal issues.
- Write fiction, nonfiction, academic essays (may need to be slightly adjusted to our theme), poetry, art, literary review, reading suggestions, interviews, etc.
- Write an appropriate length. Maybe your piece needs 500 words, maybe 5,000. Thoughtfully consider why your piece should be the length it is.
Don’t…
- Preach (“you should …,” “you need to …,” “we must …,” etc.)
- Personal anecdotes can work, but they must be compelling and add significantly to the piece
If you are unsure on topic, length, or any part of the writing process, you can always ask a CANA editor by emailing us at canauchicago@gmail.com. Remember, the deadline for submissions is Monday, March 3, 2025. Please email us your work if you would like to contribute!