[OPEN] WRITING SUBMISSIONS 

[OPEN] STANDALONE VISUAL MEDIA

[OPEN] VISUAL ARTS/IMAGE CUE COLLABORATORS

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One could argue – and probably to not much objection – that the 21st century has become increasingly synonymous with the blurring of lines between “fact” and “fiction”. Indeed, be it misinformation on the Internet, AI deepfakes, or the make-believe machine that is the US government, our coming of age has been encompassed by what some have called the “post-truth” era. This epoch has ultimately been one of reckoning: with what the “truth” really is, who produces it and how, as well as how porous the lines between fact and fiction really are. 

It is an objectively frightening time to be a young person. In times of uncertainty retreating into imaginary worlds can be not only comforting but also politically productive, as it is a means of conceptualizing alternatives to our current realities.

So in that spirit, for the Prattler’s second issue of the semester we want you to question, analyze, and reinvent the boundaries between the “real” and the imaginary. What’s their relationship to each other? What is the role that myth-making and fiction fulfill in culture? How does one talk about facts at all in a “post-truth” era?  

You can answer some of these questions or simply explore the topics of dreams, myths, and fiction as you see fit, as long as you allow us to venture beyond the realm of the “real” and on into alternate worlds.