Scream: In Defiance
Illustration by Allie Olivares Unmasked by Sonia Chintha “Why don’t you mask every day as an immunocomprised person?” Kyle asks. It is the second to
On Defiance
Illustration by Allie Olivares On Defiance by Sally Ingram Things I Did to Defy Loneliness: – looked up and wished on
Chivalry
Illustration by Deema Alawa Chivalry by Celeste Bloom “Will you buy me a tie?” I asked my mother one morning. It was early September and
Dicktion
Illustration by Allie Olivares Dicktion by Nirvaa Shah Supper is pencils. As a child, I was taught the taste of lead, from its metallic aftertaste
In Defiance
Art by Katryna Carter In Defiance by Katryna Carter Nope. I refuse. I refuse to be a machine. I refuse to follow. I refuse to
A Cracked Pomegranate
Illustration by Kelly Cole A Cracked Pomegranate by Rosa Parhizkar “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there”
Heist of Self
Illustration by Deema Alawa Heist of Self by Parivash Goff What ingratitudethis nebulous futurefor methat I rejectfrom you. I tally all the waysI fight your
On Becoming
Illustration by Allie Olivares On Becoming by Ridhika Tripathee I walk through the park yearning to feel I allow myself to move for hours step.
Grandma’s Legs
Illustration by Allie Olivares Grandma’s Legs by Darlene Campos My grandmother used to proudly tell me we had the same legs: ample, muscular, and powerful.
Attention Please
Illustration by Allie Olivares Attention Please by Kelly King The rage I carry threatens to eat me alive. This March, I jumped into leading protests
Pee Test by Katie Curlee Hamblen
Little white stick,
I didn’t plan to be back
here again,
removing the blue cap to hold you
in a wash of hot urine,
then watch the clock—
breath held,
heart thrumming,
telling no one—
afraid and alone in a bathroom
like so many women before me,
Scream: Furious Femme
The first time I saw the words “ms. chintha is a bitch” inked on to walls, I was 29 years old. I had been teaching for a mere four years, but felt so veteran already because I had stopped crying when fights happened in or near my classroom among students. Up until my fourth year, I blamed myself for not creating a safe enough space for my students and that’s why they began fighting.
Time’s Up
at 3am,
I fantasize about letting the air out of my neighbor’s tires
deflating his entitlement, for parking in my spot
karma just needed a little encouragement
Ajrak
As a child, I rejoiced in making French braids and high buns out of its thick curls. I wrote my own stories within the impenetrable knots of marriage and motherhood, weaving through her silky strands that seemed to extend for miles. The comb that would agitate my own coiled hair would billow through hers, without the slightest effort.
