(CW: suicide) The night Surya decides he will go to his death, his wife goes into labor. His son arrives with an air of practicality, eliciting one loud wail to announce his presence before knotting his eyebrows together and squinting to make out the blurry shapes around him that belong to voices he already knows. … Read moreThe Call of the Void by Kavinila Rengaraju
Interview and Photography by Anisha Patil In this interview, designer and founder Rupal Banerjee of ‘Ru by Rupal’ tells Fashion Editor and photographer Anisha Patil about her journey of self-expression through fashion, graphic design and business. From her early days influenced by her Desi parents’ business to her later days at Parsons, and more recently … Read more(Issue 14) Fashion Feature: Rupal Bakul Banerjee
SCENE 1:INT. QUEER NIGHTCLUB, LOS ANGELES – NIGHT (2019) VEGA (22, long brown hair, tan complexion, arm filled with miscellaneous doodle-like tattoos) waits at the bar, twirling a marker between her fingers. POP MUSIC drowns out the CHATTER of bar goers.AVERY (23, short black hair just shaggy enough to escape a “bowl cut” moniker, cuticles … Read moreTHIS IS GOING TO END WELL by Selena Kuikahi
Nathan Farrell (he/him) is a 23-year-old vocalist, saxophonist, songwriter, and arranger based in New York City. He narrates the complexities and contradictions of the human condition through stories of love and loss, as a young mixed-race individual processing current issues such as mental health, queerness, racial justice, and climate change. Nathan’s sound presents a gratified, immersive … Read moreNathan Farrell Music
Exploration of one’s identity in the face of existential uncertainty is the core theme of Hohenheim Suites, the sophomore LP by saxophonist, composer, producer, and film photographer Stratøs. Stratøs’ previous project, Planets, was the amalgamation of the producer’s diverse musical identities. Reaching from the visceral, distorted sounds and grooves of the death metal world to … Read more“Hohenheim Suites” by Stratøs
Soulfulness is nearly impossible to describe but is unmistakable when truly felt. Avangeliacaptures the visceral feeling like few others. The 20-year-old Brooklyn born, Singer – Songwriterand producer embodies it, with all of the nuanced pain and bliss wrapped up in the concept. Sheexplores jazzy melodies in tandem with folky storytelling and neo-soul/R&B grooves. Wildfloweris Avangelia’s … Read more“Wildflower” by Avangelia
Illustration by Mimi Mutesa @mimimutesa There are sojourners who never made it home. Bodies strapped with marks, voices wrapped in silence. I reminisce about a man growing fresh in his wound. Outside a house—a tree perches. Creaking the house and every breathe. Today, it is a head. Next, heads. The wind blows and washes my … Read moreKemanji by Adamu Yahuza Abdullah
Illustration by Mimi Mutesa @mimimutesa Here, skin is not the only outer covering, there is grief too, an inextinguishable fire. Whenever my sister left for the stream, Mum would return to the skins of her ancestors and swallow all the testament of dust. She would pierce her throat with all the prayers that couldn’t breathe … Read morePounded Yams and Ground Bones by Adamu Yahuza Abdullah
Illustration by Mimi Mutesa @mimimutesa Moved around from place to place I’m assuming I’m not welcome Not here nor there nor anywhere Tears springing from my eyes like youthful tulips in the early spring Maybe even flowers spring with pain, growing pains Happen to everyone, I’ve noticed. Wells form, I’ve discovered two Naturally saltwater wells … Read moreAn Ode to Natural Migration by Louise Kim
“Home” written and performed by Sophia Spero is a pop song with a long history. The song is about the difficulties of recovering from a toxic platonic relationship. After struggling to express herself, artist Sophia Spero decided to sit down at 1 a.m. on a Friday and write about what came to mind. Eventually, this … Read more“Home” by Sophia Spero