Dear Reader,

In this fervent June, we proudly present to you Issue V of Eterna Journal —Voyages.

Sometimes, we try to force meaning onto a journey. A perfect exposition, climax, and conclusion... However, voyages are often replete with disappointments and incomplete storylines. To voyage is to take risks, to experience, to step beyond comfort zones, and to return with new perspectives. Paola expresses, “Dreams ... are the seeds we smuggle into pavement cracks and tend when no one is watching, when the system insists nothing will grow there.” The unknowns keep us moving, questioning, and creating, and we let these experiences challenge us—before they become a part of us.

We are puzzle pieces scattered across the world, yet we remain connected, understood, and complemented by hearts of creativity. Remember too, as Ugwu writes, “That the sky dreams with us too \ And waits for our answers.” With memory, imagination, hope, art, and literature, we stand up to life’s trials.

These eleven pieces constitute part of a collective journey toward belonging and self-growth. As Shreya notes, let us “exist without needing to be understood — To be felt, not defined.” Let us fasten the creative belts and hold on to life’s helm, with our sails to the sky—for after the dark storms comes the golden treasure.

It’s summer again, and let’s all voyage onward with freedom and inspiration.

With warmth,

Zhihan Elsa Zhang & Yixin Emma Zhou

Editor-in-Chief & Art Director

Eterna Journal