Issue 3: Bloodsucker

1.  

   1. 1. Is Canada trading one dependency for another?
         • Discuss what the associate membership really gives Canada.Does Canada get genuine access to European markets despite not holding a vote in EU institutions?
         •  Are we actually diversifying or just replacing American dependence?
         • What does Canada bring to the table, or is Canada going to be just sucking the EU dry?
      2. Does the University of Toronto suck its staff dry?
         • While a tentative agreement in September of 2026 has currently averted a large-scale strike of over 6100 administrative and technical staff, it begs the question: what does the near-strike reveal about working conditions at one of Canada’s largest universities?
         • What are the pressures UofT staff face behind the scenes?
         • Why is job security becoming such a major issue for staff?
         • Ultimately, who is benefiting from the blood being drained from the people who keep U of T alive? 
      3. The Sucking of Life by Gun Violence in Toronto
         •  On September 19, the TO Wards Peace Program and the Peace March Committee led a march through downtown Toronto following the fatal shooting of Cashie Auguste on September 14. Though gun violence this year has been the second-lowest in the last decade for Toronto, 57 shootings have still occurred so far in 2026
         • As the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Murder and Homicide approaches, with the municipal election shortly following, what progress has been made to reduce gun violence in the past year?
         •  Do residents of Toronto feel more safe than years past? How much progress has been made on the municipal government’s SafeTO plan?      
           

   Send your pitches to Ethan at [email protected]

1. Being Your Friend, Draining Me Dry
   
   
   •  I think we’ve all been there. Friendship can be all at once prosperous and painful. What may be second nature to some will become an obligation for others, and unfortunately some relationships previously thought untouchable, can become a bridge burned because somebody decided to slight you from behind, take some money, spread a rumor or anything in the name of testing your loyalty. You got a story about a familiar face becoming two-faced? How long did it take to process the undertones of your relationship? Did it reframe anything in the past you once treated as happenstance? Feel free to share.
2. “This is the skin of a(n emotional) killer, Bella”: How I Learned To Stop Complaining and Love the Lovebomb:
   
   

    

   • Have you ever been an ass? An emotional vampire? Don’t worry, nobody’s judging. It’s a universal truth of human nature that life can be so burdensome that it’s hard to smell the flowers when you’re too bothered by the bees. Yet all it takes is that one event, be it a friend, a situation or a personal revelation to realize life’s too short to bitch about it as it were. What was that moment in time, person in your life or ugly confrontation within yourself that put it into perspective? How do you look back on your period of being downtrodden? Was there anything you wish you could have done differently in that time?

3. No Bird More Bothersome than a Culture Vulture:
   

    

   • • For as long as different groups of varying marginalization or culture have lived in the same public spaces, so too has the more prominent group viewed the specific circumstances of their neighbors not as cause for sympathy, but rather exploitation. The modern social media age has become grounds for people who find themselves allured by the “uniqueness” of lesser privilege or outspoken belief, with some dressing their performance in a thinly-stitched garb of advocacy. People of color, disability, or countercultures such as goth or punk, they’ve all been subject at one point or another to such attention. If you’re a part of one of these communities, maybe take a moment to share your experience or perspective on what attracts the dominant population towards these communities or the platforms they represent, and how it personally affects you.
       

4. Can I Just Get One More Dollar?
   
   

    

   • Financial hardship affects us all, but in most cases we tend to take comfort in the fact we have an ol’ reliable: Mom and Dad. Their seemingly insurmountable wealth and candor have bailed any young adult having a brush with monetary pressures or even debt, and after a few reassurances of support we can tend to get a little too cozy with the prospect of our parents always being there to lend a couple hundred dollars in times of need. Every parent has a breaking point, and every person on the receiving end will get that sting of guilt from asking too often for too much, so why not vent about feeling like a leech here? What was the line or inciting event for you? What steps did you take to live in frugality? What advice do you have for students grappling with financial codependence?

Claim a pitch or send your own to Yasha at [email protected]

1. Sucking the Lifeblood of Society:
   
   
   • The recent “Project Panama” and “VGT3” scandals revealed that AI companies such as Anthropic and Amazon have been buying and destroying rare and antique books en masse, for the sole purpose of training their large language models on the work of human authors without the threat of pesky copyright lawsuits. Consider the moral, social, and political implications of this issue: as dystopian fiction has been warning us for years, a society that does not read is a society that does not think critically—and therefore makes easy prey for manipulation. With our ability to read already under threat in the midst of the current literacy crisis, how might this literary massacre impact the way we engage with knowledge? How long will we still be able to think for ourselves, or are we already losing this ability?
2. Maybe the Real Monster was the Movie We Made Along the Way:
   
   
   • From German silent films in the 1910s, to the SFX era in the late 20th century, to the ongoing Godzilla x Kong cinematic universe, the “monster movie” genre has been entertaining audiences for generations. However, it didn’t truly take flight until the 1930s, when Hollywood began turning Gothic texts into pop culture sensations such as Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931). These films have heavily influenced public perception of the “monsters” they feature, despite substantial changes to the original stories, and have arguably overshadowed their source material. Consider what is lost when the deeper themes, characters, and plot points of a work of literature are sacrificed for entertainment value. Do these adaptations immortalize classic texts, or leave them to be forgotten? Is the erasure they perform justified by their iconic status? Or, like the Creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, are they an assembly of spoiled parts engaged in a brutal imitation of the real thing?
3. History of Dracula.
   
   
   • Perhaps the most infamous monster of the 19th and 20th century, born of Brahms Stoker’s novel “Dracula”. Vampires have since been used as icons in music, literature, art and culture. But what is the true story behind such a creature, this archetype for a plasma stealing, garlic fearing, crucifix cowering, “blood-sucker”. Either as a literary, or iconographic review, write a piece that informs this character, and enlightens the nuances, stereotypes or even political propagandas associated with Vampires.

Claim a pitch or send your own to Julia at [email protected]

Arts & Culture welcomes reviews for any of the following campus theater, dance, and music productions:  https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=Y18yNzJjOGEzY2E2Mzk4ZTVlZjJiNTJmMmM2ZTgyMmUwNDdhOTYzZmM5OTkzNzAxYmI1M2JkZGU4ZDIyZjU3OGQyQGdyb3VwLmNhbGVuZGFyLmdvb2dsZS5jb20
This Month’s Highlight: Victoria College Book Sale We are also welcoming movie reviews for our TIFF Rollout.

1. 1. The Immortal Life of Dracula:
      
      • • Bram Stoker’s Dracula has captured our imaginations since its publication in 1897. A foundational work of the horror and gothic genres, the echoes of Dracula have reverberated from the Victorian imagination into our present day, tech-infused mind. Why do we love this book so much? What about the novel, in its structure and its content, has created a well of imagination for countless writers and directors to draw on? How did Dracula distort the traditional folk image of the vampire, and how do we interpret him today? What do movies like Renfield and Nosferatu and online moments such as Dracula Daily say about the modern fascination with this novel? 
   2. The Traditional Vampire:
      

       

      • • Where do vampires come from? How have depictions of vampires impacted the Romani, Romanian, and Eastern European cultures where the figure originated? What fears did the vampire represent to them? What prejudices? What does the vampire represent now in media? How have movies like Twilight and franchises like Interview with the Vampire altered or returned the image of the vampire from its original context? What does it mean to claim a vampiric identity for yourself?
   3. The Vampire Album & My Chemical Romance:
      
      •  

        • • What does it mean for a band to insist on being undead? My Chemical Romance is well-known for its invocation of the vampire, constantly featuring songs about vampires, writing vampire storylines into their productions, and depicting themselves as such. Today, in a politically-charged anniversary tour, the band performs as the undead and immortal every single night. How has My Chemical Romance’s fascination with the vampire influenced the rest of the scene? How has the band’s insistence on the undead impacted the art it has inspired? Why have millions been attracted to this imagery? What does it mean to become dead every night? What does it mean to perform death to thousands?

      
      This Month’s Highlight: Victoria College Book Sale We are also welcoming movie reviews for our TIFF Rollout.
      

Claim a pitch or send your own to Sofia at [email protected]

1. Bloodsuckers of Nature:
   
   
   • Write an article about one or more of the bloodsuckers of the natural world — mosquitoes, leeches, bats, vampire moths. Why do only female mosquitoes bite, and how does this spread dangerous diseases such as malaria and dengue? How do leeches utilize anti-clotting agents, painkillers, and immune-suppressants to suck blood? Additionally, blood is rich in protein but dangerously high in iron and salt; how do bloodsuckers safely ingest these contents without organ damage?
2. Vampyre Disease:
   
   
   • Porphyria is a group of rare genetic or acquired blood disorders that are caused by a buildup of porphyrins, interfering with a body’s production of heme. Give us some more information about the disease, and outline its two main categories: Acute (affects the nervous system) and cutaneous (affects the skin). Porphyria was particularly present among the nobility and royalty of Eastern Europe; historically, how did this become the medical source of the vampire myth? What are the connections and discrepancies between porphyria and the well-known features of vampires (sensitivity to sunlight, aversion to garlic, facial disfigurement, blood drinking)?
3. Crimson Engine:
   
   
   • Write an article about the inner workings of the heart. Starting at the surface level, you can give us some numerical statistics, such as how many times is beats in a single day (~100,000) and how much blood it pumps daily. How is your heart able to beat outside of the body, and how does sneezing change its rhythm? You can also go into “broken heart” syndrome, and its effect on the heart’s pumping chamber. You can explore the influx of heart attacks that occur during specific time periods, such as on Mondays and on Christmas. How does this demonstrate the effect of stress, cold weather, or routine shifts on heart health?
4. Vampire Graves:
   
   
   •  In 2022, archaeologists unearthed a very strange grave in a cemetery in Pien, Poland, containing a 17th-century young woman and a sickle and padlock that seemed to be placed to prevent her from ‘rising’ from the dead. She was also buried with remnants of copper objects; in Polish folklore, copper was thought to help fend off vampiric demons (strzygi). Graves of this sort are known as “anti-vampiric” and have been documented by various archaeologists. Explore more cases of this fashion, and discuss them from a scientific perspective. What do chemical and DNA analyses of these burial techniques reveal about scientific practices during different periods of history? Moreover, how do they reflect societal anxieties that revolve around disease, epidemics, and threats of the supernatural?

Claim a pitch or send your own to Shivantika and Mashiyat at [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING POETRY PITCHES: To pitch to the Poetry Section, please include a draft of the poem you plan on writing AND/OR a poem you’ve written in the past as a writing sample alongside your regular pitch (refer to Vol. 69 Contributor Guide). Your draft or sample does not need to be formal, finished, or polished—we are just looking to get a preemptive feel for your writing style. Pitches that do not include a draft or sample will not be accepted for the Bloodsucker issue.

1. ‘Neath the Demon’s Force:
   
   
   • Vampires and other bloodsucking creatures are fixtures of Gothic poetry and prose. Read Henry Thomas Liddell’s Gothic poem “The Vampire Bride” and try to replicate the narrative ballad form used. Be sure to credit Liddell in your final product.
2. Life Source:
   
   
   • Did you know that only female mosquitos suck blood? They use it as a vital life source to reproduce. Write a poem about female desire or the inherent costs of love using this biological motif. Can love, at its core, sometimes be violent or consuming? For a challenge, consider writing your piece using the classic Sapphic stanza.
3. The Strigoi’s Mirror:
   
   
   • There are many myths about where the idea of the vampire originated from. In Romanian mythology, the Strigoi is a prime example of a traditional vampire. Write a poem inspired by this legend of the restless dead clawing their way back to the living. Focus on something in your life that feels buried, begging to resurface. To protect themselves, villagers would try to cover mirrors and scatter thorns. What do you do to keep the past away, or when it refuses to stay gone? Try to use at least two sensory details from the folklore.
4. Stripping the Myths::
   
   

    

   • • In 1897, Vlad III, the 15th century Prince of Wallachia, became infamously associated with vampire legends. Better known as ‘Vlad the Impaler,’ his brutal history inspired Bram Stoker’s seminal novel, Dracula. Darker truths often lie beneath familiar myths: Vlad was a sadistic tyrant who impaled 20,000 Ottoman prisoners. Write a poem that attempts to strip away a story you have created in your own life to expose a deeper truth. Consider experimenting with a dual structure, where one side represents the ‘myth’ and the other represents reality peeking through.

Claim a pitch or send your own to Reina at [email protected]

1. The art of the sexy vampire.
   
   
   • Write an article explaining the intricate art that is the crafting of a sexy vampire.
   • The magnetic charisma of Lestat de Lioncourt, the eternal youth of Edward Cullen, the dangerous mystery of Alucard…
   • I mean, they literally need to drink your bodily fluids to live. That’s almost more sexual than actual sex.
2. In defense of Twighlight
   
   

    

   • • Critics may say this saga is an abomination to the vampire genre. Nay nay, I say. These are the movies that introduced an entire generation of teenage girls to the phenomenon that is vampire fetishism.
     • Sexy (and sparkly) vampires? Hot DILFs? Shirtless werewolves? Talk about eye candy.
     • From Roslyn to Supermassive Black Hole, Twilight’s soundtrack has arguably never been topped. It’s mandatory fall listening.

3. A guide on how to live in Toronto without spending any money.
   

    

   • Everyone knows Toronto’s expensive, but not everyone knows the ins and outs of couch surfing. You can be the one to spread the gospel so Toronotonians can live rent-free!
   • Get on Hinge and find yourself a situationship that will pay for all of your meals.
   • Save a list of excuses to pull out the next time someone asks you to pay them back.
     
4. A personal ad from a guy who’s probably a vampire.
   
   

    

   • Just a single guy in his early hundreds, looking for a warm-blooded companion (emphasis on the warm) (emphasis on the blooded) to spend the days and nights with (but mainly the nights)
   • Does he hate showing up uninvited? Is garlic breath a dealbreaker?
   • Does he prefer companions with an O-negative blood type?
   • Write an ad from his perspective and help him find someone to have for dinner!
5. Dear Stranded: Advice from beyond the grave.
   
   

    

   • This issue we’re opening up an advice column, with a certain fanged writer ready to give some sincere (if kind of useless) advice.
   • What would you tell someone to do about their Hinge date if you remembered the days of flirting via carrier pigeon?
   • What advice would you give an insomniac as someone who is up to all kinds of shenanigans in those dark hours?
   • With centuries of wisdom behind your belt, write from the perspective of our vampire columnist in response to a hypothetical reader’s question.

Claim a pitch or send your own to Victoria and Elizabeth at [email protected]