Checking Out Library Books Deborah Chava Singer __________ I was sixteen and starting college early. Smartphones didn’t exist. People carried pagers; I didn’t own one yet. It was long before social media; going online was pay-per-minute. With hours between classes sometimes I’d take the bus downtown to the big library. …
Read MorePride, June ’25 Editor: Vallie Lynn Watson Guest Editor: Robbie Hess Managing Editor: Karris Rae Associate Editor: Taryn White Assistant Editors: Leah Joseph, Jade Turner, Meilyn Woods Deborah Chava Singer, “Rainbow Blossoms,” Digital Artwork Letter from the Editor by Vallie Lynn Watson Letter from the Guest Editor by Robbie Hess…
Read MoreFinding Home: Immigration and Displacement, May ’25 Editor: Vallie Lynn Watson Guest Editor: Leah Joseph Managing Editor: Karris Rae Associate Editor: Taryn White Assistant Editors: Robbie Hess, Jade Turner, Meilyn Woods Interns: Ta’Mya Davis, Elaine Schroeder Donna Turan, “Liberty’s Lament,” Acrylic, marker, and pen on canvas Letter from the Editor…
Read MoreCumulonimbus Kathryn Silver-Hajo __________ Mama used to sing to Sami and me at night, sounds of yearning emerging from deep in her chest like a trapped owl was trying to escape. Most mornings, Baba walked us to school, and he’d say he needed quiet so he could plan his day.…
Read MoreHow 아빠 Learned English Gina Kim Kotinek __________ He told me while we nursed his favorite scotch on the porch. Rocking in our chairs. Basking in the dusk. Seeing each other under starlight. I asked him what my first word was, not because I didn’t know, but because I liked…
Read MoreGiant Pandas Eat Bamboo Rina Palumbo __________ You could hear the steady sound of chewing, the tearing, the chomping, the rhythmic circularmunching of the giant panda. You could hear the ripping, the tearing, the breaking of thebamboo: stems one by one, leaves one by one, new shoots in bunches. You…
Read MoreBent Twigs Kathryn Kulpa __________ The news might have come in the daily paper, but who read papers anymore? Maybe there was an announcement on the radio. A bullhorn buzz: THIS HAS BEEN ATEST OF THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. HAD THIS BEEN AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY, YOU WOULD ALL BE DEAD…
Read MoreGrimaldi’s Thanksgiving Antoinette Carone __________ Grimaldi knew something was afoot. His nap was disturbed by a noisy hustle and bustlecoming from downstairs. He pricked up his ears. Someone might be coming to chase him off the bed. Then he remembered that he now lived with Anna and Salvatore and was…
Read MoreBlack History Month, Feb ’25 Editor: Vallie Lynn Watson Managing Editor: Karris Rae Associate Editor: Taryn White Assistant Editors: Robbie Hess, Leah Joseph, Jade Turner, Meilyn Woods Interns: Ta’Mya Davis, Elaine Schroeder Malina Catlett, “Untitled” Letter from the Editor by Vallie Lynn Watson Letter from the Guest Editor by Meilyn…
Read MoreTrip to Joshua Tree, Life Drawing, & Engagement Merridawn Duckler __________ Trip to Joshua Tree Rocks pile up like slabs of clay in a beginner pottery class. We cut them with a wire, my favoritepart. I didn’t care about vessels then. I just wanted to part clay. Humming the U2…
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