Editor’s Introduction

Dear readers

Welcome to Inscribe: A Journal of Undergraduate Writing, hosted by the English Language Centre (ELC).  

Issue 10 delivers a selection of short stories and articles that originated in ELC and CAR EWR subjects in the academic year 23-24. Student authors have continued to refine these compositions through Inscribe’s interactive editing processes with ELC faculty. 

The theme of acceptance and the struggle to find it threads through this latest issue.

Six student scribes cast their lights on the acceptance of our natural state of being and its inherent beauty, on how we regard others, especially those not like us, and on how – despite our honourable and necessary struggles – we may ultimately need to accept our fate in a universe of dying stars that is both cruel and magical.  

The curtain is raised on Issue 10 with Wing Yick’s article “Modern Marionettes: The Naked Truth.” This undergraduate writer reveals a young woman’s brave critique of lingering values that many women feel have reached their expiry date in this egalitarian 21st century.

Iris Huang continues the pushback on cultural norms by sharing her unexpected challenges as a woman with an elevated eye toward future love and career success. Take a few long steps in her not-so-dainty shoes in “A Tall Goldilocks in Hong Kong: Navigating the Tangled Forest of Perceptions.”    

“A Whisk of Magic” is a short story by Tanya Budhrani that follows one lonely woman’s recipe for happiness and meaningful connection amidst a crowded Paris. This tale has all the ingredients to keep you wanting more.  

Chan Hiu Ching Kelily rushes us back to Hong Kong, where she invites us to stare directly into the face of a local phenomenon in her article “Side-eye: A Glance into Hong Kong’s Fast-Paced Culture.”

“City of Stars,” an article by Hui Tsz Shun Nicoria, challenges us to shift our eyes upward and rage against Hong Kong’s shimmering exodus as light turns to shadow.

Episode 10 drops the curtain with “Tarot Cards & Death.” This tale seeks to rekindle extinguished lights by challenging the boundaries of mortality. It’s author, Ashley Tjahjadi, excavates restless memories to deal up a truly spellbinding story of reaching into the beyond to stop death.     

Congratulations to these six student authors on their engaging writing.

Issue 10 was produced and delivered with the invaluable service of the ELC editing and technical teams. Please do enjoy the fruits of their labour of love and the nectareous compositions of our undergraduates.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

John Lawrence, Editor-in-Chief

Inscribe: A Journal of Undergraduate Writing in Asia is hosted and supported by the English Language Centre of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

 

Editor-in-Chief

• Mr John Lawrence

Editorial Panel

• Dr Jane Robbins

• Mr Adam Forrester

• Mr Richard Brooke

• Mr Adam Barker

Faculty Editors

• Mr Jay Bidal

• Mr Phil Todd

• Mr Richard Brooke

• Mr Marshall Yin

• Ms Azar Tajabadi  

Proofreaders

• Ms Tracy Swemmer

• Mr Jamie Sullivan

Director of the English Language Centre

• Dr Jane Robbins

Senior Faculty Advisor

• Ms Shari Lughmani

Founding Editor-in-Chief

• Mr Dean A. F. Gui

Technical Staff

• Dr Voyce Li

• Mr Angelo Chu