The first man I dated when I moved to New York City was eight years older than me. I was 21 and he was 29, and for our first date, we went to see the Broadway play Significant Other. In case you’re unfamiliar, Sig O is a play about a gay man in his late … Read moreTHE NIKE RUN CLUB or How to Have a Quarter-Life Crisis Without Even Realizing It by Cheech Manohar
For those of you who don’t know me personally — which I hope is the case for most perusers of this piece — I am in the fortunate yet unfortunate population that has never been on a date, never been asked, never gone, and most importantly never had the microaggression-riddled debate of who is picking … Read moreThe First Date: A Fictional Anthology (cause it aint gonna happen) by Jack Niemczyk
Interview and Foreword by Carolina Meurkens, Photography by Emma Connell I first met Simiya in October of 2020. I was halfway through my pregnancy and stumbled upon an Instagram post advertising free BIPOC/ Queer affirming Prenatal Yoga. I signed up immediately and logged onto zoom for my first class the following weekend. Simiya’s yoga practice … Read more(Issue 10) Health/ Sex/ Wellness Feature: Simiya Sudduth
I am an Afro-Indigenous [non-binary] womxn. I come from an ancestral line of Native and African peoples. Theirs is the DNA I carry. Their existence lives on through me. With that said, the process of reclaiming the fullness of my identity has been and continues to be anything but easy. I continually move through feelings … Read moreA Personal Note on Reclaiming My Ancestry by Monyae Kerney
**CW: this piece contains mentions of rape** This piece consists of tiny journal entries from March ‘21 till July ‘21. I started to speak publicly about my rape around 2018, fifteen years after the fact. Four years after that, I find myself, for the first time ever, healing from the trauma. I’ve come to terms … Read moreWalking Through The Valley of Shadow of Death by Nancy Azcona
Ben was someone I had known since I was 5 years old — not in a romantic way, but in a “he was in my kindergarten class” way where someone exists passively in your consciousness for as long as you can remember. My best friend and I would play tag on the playground and take … Read moreThe Parable of This Guy Who Gave Me a UTI by Amita Rao
Photography by Joana Meurkens, Interview by Carolina Meurkens In this installation of “Hair Stories”, we interviewed New York native and curly hair dreamboat Ian Deane. Ian (they/he) is a triple threat actor studying Musical Theater at Texas State University. His artistry seeks to highlight stories that speak to social change and challenge audiences. When he’s … Read moreHair Stories: (Ian)
Photo by @annaparade Imagine this, you’re in an escape room and you’ve used all of your options before realizing there’s no way out—that is what it feels like to be in a constant battle with your mind. This pandemic has taken such a toll on my already struggling mental health, and I have decided to … Read moreThe Pandemic, Music, and Mental Health by Lindsay Marcelli
I was taking a walk in Ridgewood capturing pictures of flowers and sending them to one of my close friend. We do this often, our texts are full of things we saw and wanted to share: selfies of us with a terrible sunburn, a snack we enjoyed, a weird-shaped cloud, or a cute new outfit. … Read moreWhy You Should Stop Posting on Social Media and Start Sending Your Selfies Directly to Your Friends by Nico Shears
It is uncomfortable.. Damn. It is so f*cking uncomfortable. I’m not even gonna lie to you. I hate it sometimes. Being “in the closet” at home means listening to “harmless” queer jokes (that sometimes are kinda funny) but that I can’t even laugh at. You know how if someone makes fun of your best friend … Read moreA Personal Note on Being Queer in a Black Christian Family by Monyae Kerney