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Writing is a road to discovery. We make and find meaning through writing, language, and symbols, and we use these to communicate what we’ve discovered: knowledge, worlds, people, ourselves. We write through various modes of expression in the hopes of leaving an imprint on the world for others to discover.
Inventio is an online literary magazine that publishes these discoveries. Whether compositions of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry, we share what you create. Since its beginning in 2017, through York University’s Professional Writing Students’ Association, Inventio has been a platform for the literary talents of post-secondary students.
We publish three times each academic year: April 25, August 25, and November 25.
Inventio. We Are Writing.
Everything within the universe exists in relation to everything else.
In Inventio‘s largest issue yet, our submissions focus on humans’ complex relationships with themselves, people, and the world around them—We are not as isolated as we think we are.
Two of our poetry pieces deal with romantic relationships. One is about how opposites attract, while the other is focused on the power of love and passion. Two more of our poems reflect on our relationships with nature. One is about finding appreciation for the sun, while the other is about finding moments to recognize and understand nature.
Three of our poems deal with loss in relationships: the loss of a father, childhood, and connections. Two more of our poems deal with our relationship to faith: one brings a new perspective to John Milton’s Paradise Lost, while the other recognizes the love and care involved in their relationship to the veil.
One poem reflects on our relationship with writing and the freedom that writing offers. Another poem is about our relationship with the symbolism of the new year as hope for new beginnings. Our final poem is about the difficulty of managing our thoughts and the relationship we have with mental health.
Our non-fiction pieces delve into deeply personal relationships that shape our individual lives. One piece investigates the myth that writing is a solitary act. Another piece reflects on our relationship with faith through the loss of a close family member. The final story considers the impact of childhood experiences on identity and relationships with queerness.
Our fiction piece further reflects on the human-nature-science relationship, by strengthening our connection with the natural world through unification.
We would like to thank our brilliant contributors—Alice Torrance, Christopher Connell, Cristina Matteis, Emma Piersanti, Lauren Russell, Meg Mooney, Miranda Chen, Nathan Agustin, Serafina Piasentin, Shaneeza Wraich, and Yalini Sothy—for sharing their work with us. We hope you enjoy this issue.
— Written by Shelby Gray
Edited by Dunja Dudarin, EiC, and Jessica Lappin, AEiC
Dendroalsia is a surrealist exploration of the cyclical nature of human and botanical life. A scientist analyzes new growth and unearths the wonder of organic mutation.
Nathan and Ash spend their childhood days battling Bakugan and playing Pokémon, but Nathan catches more than just Pokémon…he also catches the love bug.
In this deeply personal and insightful piece, the author questions the nature of his seemingly solitary writing process, recognizing the possibility of writing as a collaborative art form in this ever-changing technological landscape.
“It’s Nothing Special” is a reminder that without the sun, life on Earth would cease to exist. The sun serves as humanity’s life force, but the star stands on its own selflessly.
“Iyarkai” tells a love story through oppositional nature metaphors. He is fire with a burning passion, while she is water with a cool, timid streak. Together, they fuse to mist—a space for transcendent love.
The author delves into the relationship between beauty, faith, and the self through veiling, unravelling the connection between external appearances and strength.
If you are curious enough to explore the path that writing takes you on, “Ink” will show you how to find freedom and adventure in the process.
Through a series of haikus and an experimental use of form and structure, the author demonstrates nature’s cyclicalness, emphasizing how human values and experiences are mirrored within nature when we pause and attune ourselves to our surroundings.
Inspired by Paradise Lost by John Milton, “Paradise Created” offers a new perspective on what paradise means, in particular what it means to create your own Garden and explore human and worldly creation within.
“The Procedure” highlights the frustration that comes when dealing with the bureaucratic nature of customer service. The speaker is trapped in a labyrinth with no human connection and no clear way out.
“The Faraway Country” is about the difficulty that comes with making peace with the loss of childhood and seeing glimpses of it in the world around you, knowing you can never go back.
With a new year comes new opportunities to begin again; so leave the troubles of the past behind and let the new year in.
Grappling with the loss of her grandmother, the author reflects on her Catholic upbringing and the intricate layers of grief unfold, revealing the author’s own profound uncertainties surrounding faith, life, and death.
The speaker ruminates on their relationship with their father, unpacking the grief and lostness that come with losing a loved one.
“An Uncollected Collection” follows an individual haunted by the symptoms of depression. Their melancholy consumes them until they feel hopeless—with no light, they only see darkness.
Through passionate words filled with realizations about a lover, “Your Wine-Stained Lips” explores and analyzes the power of relationships and personal well-being.
We would like to begin by acknowledging the Indigenous Peoples of all the lands that we are on today. While we meet today on a virtual platform, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the importance of the lands, on which we each call home. We do this to reaffirm our commitment and responsibility in improving relationships between nations and to improve our own understanding of local Indigenous peoples and their cultures.
York University’s land acknowledgement may not represent the territory that you are currently on, and we would ask that if this is the case, you take responsibility to acknowledge the traditional territory that you are on and its current treaty holders.
York University acknowledges its presence on the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations. The area known as Tkaronto has been care taken by the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Huron-Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities.
We acknowledge the current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region.
From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people that call this land home. Please join us in a moment of reflection to acknowledge the effect of residential schools and colonialism on Indigenous families and communities and to consider how it is our collective responsibility to recognize colonial and arrivant histories and present-day implications in order to honour, protect, and sustain this land.
In recognizing that these spaces occupy colonized First Nations territories and out of respect for the rights of the Indigenous people, please look for, in your own way, to engage in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.