CURA: A Literary Magazine of Art and Action is a multi-media magazine based at Fordham University committed to integrating the arts and social justice.
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Mission Statement
Cura Personalis, a Latin phrase meaning “care for the whole person,” asks us to look beyond what is immediately visible and appreciate the fullness of an individual. To us, it is an understanding that the places we inhabit, the people we talk to, and the stories we carry shape the people we are today. We use this philosophy to help us map the emotional landscapes that surround our urban life. Within each corner there is a story that at CURA, we seek to uncover. We each hold an internal map to guide us through the ever changing landscapes of our lives. At CURA, we are interested in intimate inner workings of our environments and how they touch each of our lives. Through literary and artistic work we hope to bring together our communities and help foster relationships to trace our belonging.
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Cartography, the science and art of map-making, has always been a subjective and political process, despite claims to objectivity. Maps are more than just navigational tools. They reflect power, identity, and culture. They draw borders, tell us where and who we are, and, crucially, who the cartographers are. The Mercator projection (the dominant world map, which inflates the sizes of landmasses furthest from the equator) demonstrates this explicitly. Perhaps even more interestingly, maps can reveal what we don’t know in the areas they leave blank. Far edges and unnamed spaces give us room for mystery and discovery.
Maps can be used in much more mundane ways as well. The modern individual relies on GPS systems in their daily life with just the press of a button. Transit maps line the walls of subway platforms. Treasure maps garnished our childhood fantasies. Our routines, connections, and personal histories create deeply unique, internal maps of our homes and cities that we carry with us.
In this magazine, we would like to investigate how we transform anonymous urban environments into a map of emotional coordinates. We’re interested in works that explore ideas of space, place, and belonging; stories that tell of home — how we build it, when we experience it, where we find it in others. Or, by contrast, where we feel the most alienated within our communities. We wish to celebrate the subjective, the intimate, the personal. What do each of us see in our cities that others may not? How do the places we live shape our internal landscapes, our approaches to life and art?
As the student-led magazine for Fordham Creative Writing, we represent a microcosm of the rich diversity of New York City, and we seek to celebrate the colors and cultures of cosmopolitan life. We are aware of the challenges and privileges we are offered as a gated city campus.* We want to engage with the environments around us, brought together in our collective pursuit of mapping belonging.
New York City is somewhat of a transient city, marked by ceaseless movement and migration. Its streets are constantly evolving, from the treads we wear into the sidewalk to the slow-moving orbits of scaffolding. In these buildings and the in-between, so many artists have explored their crafts and broken new creative ground. So much history is buried under urban development, renovation, and beautification. We want to bring invisible histories to light, both those of neighborhoods and those we carry within ourselves.
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*Read our full thoughts on our campuses’ histories here.
CURA is made possible through the generous support of the Office of the Deans of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University
Submissions
Alissa Deoraj
MJ Santana
Editors
Isaac Badell-Riviere
Maria Olay Difrancesco
Julianna Hodak
Autumn Lim
Gabriela Roberts
MJ Santana
Jake Shoup
Lily Tang
Michelle Wilson
Supervising Editor
Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Founding Editor
Sarah Gambito
Layout & Design
Isaac Badell-Riviere
Maria Olay Difrancesco
Antonia Kubanik
Haniyyah Usmani
Michelle Wilson
Eileen Zheng
Publicity & Marketing
Isaac Badell-Riviere
Maria Olay Difrancesco
Julianna Hodak
Gabriela Roberts
MJ Santana
Jake Shoup
Haniyyah Usmani
Sarah Verrastro
Michelle Wilson
The views expressed in CURA are solely those personal to the artists and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Fordham University and its affiliates.