Artwork: “Found My Wings” by @synth3ticc When I was younger, there were times when I wished that I could cut myself into two perfect halves: one Arab and one Asian. The Arab one would look like my father with curly Afro hair that smelled of saltwater and a big nose that would guide me home. … Read moreGet You a Girl Who Can Do Neither by Lulwah “Lu” Alhajji
It was the summer of 1993 and Keilani and I sat by the crackling fire as the bullfrogs croaked a sonorous symphony, the grass swayed from a whispering breeze, and the stars zipped in different directions across the vast night sky. “What a weekend,” Keilani said, resting her hands on the back of her jet-black … Read moreThe Last Weekend in July by Zach Murphy
As a child, I was something of a voyeur. It’s natural, of course, for children to both see and consume the world while also trying to understand it, often while fading into the background–the proverbial “be seen and not heard.” Adults often make the mistake of carrying on with their lives as though children are … Read moreTo Watch or be Watched by Lisa Wright
Illustration by Divyakshi Kedia There was no one at the drive-through window, so they sat simply and looked at each other. The fluorescent lights from inside cast a bright yellow triangle through the glass, past Darren’s own window, into the car, and spilled all over his lap. She watched the light carefully until a shrouded figure … Read moreIn the Shape of the Rabbit by Amita Rao
Illustration by Andrea Miranda The rhythmic tapping onto the table began to irritate me. My eyes flicked up from the menu I was perusing. Tap-tap-tap. I searched for the accuser and landed on a young woman, her ring was taking the lead and I began to feel the rhythm on my temple and the teeth … Read moreA Proustian Moment by Ndimu Grignon
Moving slowly and deliberately can be its own revolution, to take time to pause, reflect, listen to your body and spirit. In a series of small steps, align your actions and decisions with the life you are creating. In this way you can fight against a sense of hurry and rush and rashness that today’s global … Read moreDiaspora Disconnections with the aid of Technology Part III – واحدة واحدة by Mary Barghout
“What about this one?” Kat holds up their phone. On the screen: a sprawling, old-style wooden ranch house nestled in half a square acre of disheveled grass. We’ve been searching for three weeks now; the landlord’s pressuring us to leave and we’re starting to get desperate. Affordable three bed places are thin on the ground … Read moreIn Capitalist America, House Hunts You by Arsha Adarsh
“The family is like the forest: if you are outside, it is dense; if you are inside, you see that each tree has its own position”. This Akan Proverb is the way author Yaa Gyasi begins her debut novel, a heart wrenching multi-generational story that follows the lineage of two sisters from Ghana in the … Read moreReview: Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi) by Miranda Mlilo
Illustration by Divyakshi Kedia My childhood memories of St. Patrick’s Day consist of my mom baking soda bread, decking me in plastic shamrock jewelry, and forcing me to wear green. “It’s the only way people will know you’re Irish,” she would explain. It was a holiday for celebrating a heritage that I knew next to … Read moreA Chameleon, Unveiled by Sabrina Choudhary
April of 2021 was an immense month for me. Overall, this entire year has been monumental, but April definitely had a lot going on. Between podcasts, performances, and my birthday, I also released my first book Corazón De Seda in April. And though busy feels like an understatement at this point, the sleepless nights have felt … Read moreWrite the f*cking book by Nancy Azcona