Image provided by Jules Rivera CW: domestic abuse She took the knife and pressed the blade, using the palm of her hand to flatten it down, the smell of garlic rising into the air. Sshik sshik sshik, the knife brushing against the cutting board. She minced quickly, the blade blurring. Next, the onion, sshik sshik, … Read moreRagu by Jules Rivera
Art by André Pereira She had always been a nervous smiler. Every day, without fail, and more often in the most inappropriate of circumstances, her mouth would twitch and then curve up into a grin that couldn’t be stopped. Whether it be awkwardly telling a friend bad news, learning of the death of a loved … Read moreSmile by Meghana Joshi
Illustration by Isa Condo-Olvera Ba: whatever makes each person unique that is not physical: your humor, your worth, your charm, yourself, your soul. I died today. Everyone said death was only a temporary suspension, but I was unsure. I always wondered what dying would feel like. Death and I had danced throughout my life, competing … Read moreBa by Isa Condo-Olvera
Image provided by Chere Taylor CW: domestic abuse, injury description He approaches the girl in his tight, leather pants, black curls tousled on his head. His eyes are as hard as obsidian stone. She is observing a young, teen god. And he is sexy. Christ, he’s so sexy. Gwendolyn, today’s victim, is chained to the … Read moreRomancing the Butcher by Chere Taylor
I wonder what that would be like to walk into a room and kiss my father on the cheek. To throw my arms around his neck and be pulled into his embrace. I wonder what it would feel like to talk, to say something, to ask real questions. For all the words to unglue and … Read moreFor The Child of a Quiet, Loving Immigrant Father by Chandra Persaud
Image from The Mighty CW: body dysmorphia and discussion of eating disorders I am both familiar and alien to myself. I realize this most when I get ready for a shower. I undress by first reaching behind my neck and digging a fingernail into the clasp of my cross necklace. When I twiddle with the … Read moreWhen Bathing by Natalie Kim
Image by Capri Huffman ★★★★★ Dear Friends, I regret that I cannot be here today, to receive you personally. Welcome to this sorrowing land, whose literary image is so much more beautiful than its present reality. […] We are now in the sixtieth year of the Nakba. There are now those who are dancing on the … Read moreThis is Not a Border: Reportage & Reflection from the Palestine Festival of Literature – Reviewed by Capri Huffman
Photo by Amanda Liaw $2,800 and a 30-hour flight with two stopovers. When I was a child, I was the only one who went to those gala dinners with him. It probably made him proud when others saw me there, the dutiful grandchild. His friends, fellow old men, would speak about society things—the Liaw association, … Read morePersonal Histories: Abridged by Amanda Liaw
Photo by Isa Grofsorean edited by Isa Condo-Olvera Or… What It’s Like to be a White Latina on an Uber Ride in Oklahoma You’re eighteen, this is your first trip you’ve ever done entirely by yourself, you’re in a country that is not your own, and following your dreams and auditioning for colleges has led … Read morePassing? by Isa Condo-Olvera
Image provided by Dhayana Alejandrina It was June 26th, the day before Mami’s birthday. I had traveled from Georgia to my second home, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to celebrate another year of life with her. That morning, Mami had to work, and I woke up to the sound of the birds chatting in the living room; ever … Read moreMami, Myself, and the Rain by Dhayana Alejandrina