Written by Keesilla Chan. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – There was a knock on the front door. Three taps, quick, quiet, and somewhat familiar. I moved to the front door and opened it. I couldn’t hide the surprise in my greeting, but you didn’t say anything. You walked in before I had even stepped back, already taking off your shoes. […]
Written by Bevyn Howard. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – **Content Warning: Violence** Late one Sunday night on July 22, 2018 a black woman was mercilessly murdered. Nia Wilson and her two sisters Letifah and Tashiya were transferring at the McCarthur BART station in Oakland, California when a man attacked them, unprovoked, stabbing Nia and Letifah. Nia eventually died and as […]
Written by London Furr. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Mother Why can’t you teach me to read? Cravings The water I drink is never clean It’s not fair Modern slave, will I ever be freed? Life is hard My hourglass is ticking Mother Can I sleep in and go to school late? Cravings To be thin, I toss the trash […]
Written by Luke Hernandez. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – I see my life in class As a debate People tearing me in apart in different directions, They are “rational” When I upset them I am “emotional” Playing with the idea of power within a powerful institution Yet when I, just a voice, defend myself My life I am scorned, broke […]
Written by Jake Costello. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Rain falls with the ticking of a distant clock: the hour hand with the winds, the minute hand with the claps of thunder, the second hand with each droplet that falls. Ominous clouds raise from beyond the horizon, with them a million and million more of their little fellows, ready for […]
Written by Ryan Mata. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – So far I have done a simple service to my memories, and that is to remember them. But I haven’t remembered so much as I have “just managed” to not forget. When I look in my own eyes I think, “I am a passenger in this journey, but a driver in […]
Written by Mary Jo Gould. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Challenge. It seems to always be the topic of discussion Almost to the point it gives me a concussion. I have never climbed a mountain, Never been skinny dipping in a fountain. There are no obstacles for me to overcome. Unless you consider where I have come. The challenge that […]
Written by Toni Bonvillain. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – My therapist once told me “success is in the baby-steps,” so on those days when you feel too numb to move, just get out of bed. That would be enough. The start of something is still something even if you never see the end, so remember that you are alive, and […]
Written by Caroline Tsai. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – My father sleeps on a bench every night. He uses a thin blanket and a flat pillow. He wakes up and puts them in a closet before the early-morning janitor arrives at 6am. He’s not supposed to be sleeping there. I grew up in a well-off family. Not incredibly so, but […]
Written by Shini Meyer Wang. Graphic by René Magritte, Golconde (1953). – their separations exact a rising or falling echelon plotted on a triple axis world their expressions placid faces emptied like the people on subway trains who carry a sacred anonymity mornings I crack open my kitchen window to breathe or to be greeted by the rows of windows […]
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– For Antonio Limon, college was never a question of if, but where, he was going to go. He remembers his mom always encouraging him to achieve A’s in his classes and volunteer to boost his prospects of a college education . She […]
Written by Dila Sarikaya. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– As my Mom and I did some casual window shopping, I looked over my shoulder and saw a big Christmas tree– one of the extravagant ones shopping plazas put up during the holiday season. Its lights, sparkle, and sheer size caught my […]
Written by Brooke Quach. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– The volleyball struck him in the head so hard that he only recognized the impact after his scrawny body fell on the floor. His ears rang, but he could still hear the big white boy with the red face yell “GOOK” with […]
Written by Hector Osegueda. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– Since time immemorial, humans have struggled with the concept of good and trying to understand what makes a good person. Conversations about the relativity and subjectivity of goodness go back thousands of years to the earliest civilizations and carries onto the floors […]
Written by Yulissa Chavez. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– Growing up in a Latina household, forced me to comply with the idea that my body was the property of God. This mentality may suggest that I learned to appreciate my body, but instead, I grew up learning to be afraid of […]
Written by Taylar Henderson. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– I don’t know who I am. For my entire life, I’ve relied solely on what other people defined me as. In elementary school, I was creative, loud, and outgoing. In middle school, I was weird, nerdy, and edgy. In high school, I […]
Written by Anonymous. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– **Content Warning: Sexual Assault** I don’t like to be figured out. I wasn’t one to easily confide my personal life in others. I would occasionally share a secret with a friend but never the same one twice. I would give one friend one puzzle […]
Written by Allison McCarty. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– Months. Weeks. Days. Hours. Minutes. It usually comes down to minutes. Assignments, papers, tests, they’re all posted months in advance. The dates on the syllabus are distant, almost inconceivable. No need to think about it, there’s plenty of time. Write it on the […]
Written by Peyton Cabaniss. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– When Dr. Keely Finkelstein came to the University of Texas, she brought her research in astrophysics and a fascination with all things extragalactic. Her partner, Dr. Steven Finkelstein, brought his interest in galaxies big and small as well as his obsession with […]
Written by Shini Meyer Wang. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– threads of smoke from the ether unravel down the sky it is that tin-can shuttle rubble hurtling across America’s TV boxes the space voyager “Challenger” a reverie turned fireball our frontier is beyond the fishbowl beyond the scorch of atmosphere that […]
Written by Gabriela Camarena. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– **Content Warning: Sexual Assault** I saw a woman on the news, Her stance was bold and strong. She spoke the words we know are true, But still they say she’s wrong. I saw a woman on the news, Different than she before, […]
Written by Caroline Tsai. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue. – I remember what the hallways smell like – “Like where dreams come to die,” my ex-boyfriend said when he came to visit me the first time I was in there. I remember that the walls are white, but not a clean […]
Written by Monica Hand. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Honorable Mention in the Spring 2019 Creative Competition, “Challenge.” – The hardest thing you will ever do is love her. Though you pine to love her the way she needs, With an unconditional, forgiving fury. It’s not easy- you know that. She knows that. You tell her it’s her fault you can’t […]
Written by Michaela Lavelle. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Honorable Mention in the Spring 2019 Creative Competition, “Challenge.”– Every exhale is a knickknack I put on your shelves Coat on the rack and shoes at your door I make myself at home moving in my favorite memories, my greatest fears, mugs, goals, dreams, plates and picture frames My fingers touch the […]
Written by Ethan Russo.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. At this late day, The Great British Baking Show should need no introduction. It has conquered Britain, America, and indeed the world. And it’s no wonder, either; the show– known as the GBBO to its more devoted acolytes, due to its name in the UK, The Great British Bake Off– is impossibly charming. […]
Written by Pilar Padilla. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Pilar Padilla is currently a junior at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas. – Over the past few weeks, Austinites were hit with the shocking news of the University of Texas at Austin’s ties to the academic cheating scandal that swept prestigious colleges across the nation. The school is being sued by […]
Written by Frida Silva.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – There’s an ongoing joke in the lesbian community that Hozier is actually possessed by an ancient lesbian spirit, and that’s why his songs sound the way that they do. I, for one, strongly agree. I’m not saying a straight man isn’t capable of expressing such a profound, almost sacred, love and admiration […]
Written by Praveena Javvadi. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – You. You are the train. You will go. And you will fill. And you will come bustling apart at the sides with all kinds of Joy and despair and laughter and tears and anger. And love. And you will go. And you will fill. But I am the stop. And as […]
Written by Shae Carey.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – In her essay “A Room of One’s Own,” Virginia Woolf says, “for my belief is that if we live another century or so—I am talking of the common life which is the real life and not of the little separate lives which we live as individuals—and have five hundred a year each […]
Written by Patrick Lee.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – My perception of academia coming into college was that of an exuberant idea factory, pumping out world-changing publications and smart people capable of ethically advancing the human base of knowledge. But, as in many cases, the appearance of things has the effect of masking its truer form. To this day I still […]
Written by Emma Robinson.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – My vintage camera collection spans across different eras, types, and models. From the 35mm film variety to digital cameras, and most recently, I added an authentic Polaroid 600 Square from the 1980s. My Polaroid camera is the product of a four-year long search for first, a vintage Polaroid camera that works, and […]
Written by Jennifer Dong.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – From her sugary, upbeat synth-pop tracks that dominated the radio in 2008 to the somber ballads featured on the soundtrack of last year’s A Star is Born, Lady Gaga has undoubtedly taken the music world by storm. While Gaga is mostly known for her operatic vocals and bold lyrics, her impressive, wide-ranging discography […]
Written by Luisana Cortez.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Part of the foundation to our current existence is language. Language is not the only factor that drives historical events or mere incidents in societies, but it is inarguably one of the greater forces, simultaneously upholding and negating the attitudes, beliefs, and imaginations of many. If this sounds too abstract, it’s because […]
Written by Shini Meyer Wang.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Ripe with relevance, symbolism, and nuance, director Jordan Peele’s second horror hit holds a mirror up to us, prodding at our neglected awareness of the monsters within as individuals and as a society. A theme of duplicity not only saturates the story, but also its structure. Two narratives make up the […]
Written by Maggie Chadwick Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss Selena Quintanilla, hailed the Queen of Tejano Music, is known around the world for her songs, fashion, and, unfortunately, her untimely death. Even though her life came to an abrupt and heartbreaking end, her name and legacy live on. Selena continues to have such an impact on pop culture, especially in the […]
Written by Dila Sarikaya.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – What if your favorite star sent you a letter inviting you to visit them? Would you go? Joyce Maynard was faced with this decision in 1972 after her first article, “An 18-Year-Old Looks Back On Life,” was published in The New York Times magazine. In this article, of which she says the […]
Written by Sophie Corless.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. I. What happens on an infomercial,When the late-night viewer falls asleep?When the commercial,Has no viewers, do the glimmering products weep? II. Where does the flash go,After blinding an unsuspecting star?Does the camera hold the photo,And treasure it as a new piece in his repertoire? III. Does a magazine feel remorse,For printing less than […]
Written by Caroline Rock.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Growing up as a daughter in a military household, packing up my possessions to move every two years made me very aware of everything I owned – and everything I didn’t need. It was my dad’s idea to do a purge before each move so we wouldn’t bring unnecessary items with us. […]
Written by Luna Malloy.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Leaving Neverland. Surviving R. Kelly. The Inventor. Abducted in Plain Sight. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. The Bundy Tapes. Evil Genius. Perhaps you’ve watched any number of these recent documentaries. Maybe you’ve seen them referenced in the media, or in the case of Fyre, lampooned by some tragic Evian water […]
Written by Hector Osegueda.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss Little trees, for whatever reason, tend to make people happy. Plants, in general, are known to have mentally therapeutic properties — green spaces in homes and offices can increase happiness, decrease stress, and boost productivity. Plants have also been extensively used to help veterans and hospital patients who suffer from PTSD. However, even […]
Written by Yulissa Chavez.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss – What is maturity? How does an individual know they have reached the age of maturity, and that they are not simply playing into imposter syndrome? The United States of America seems to be indecisive of an age that clearly marks when an individual is mature enough to handle the consequences and benefits […]
Written by Shini Meyer Wang.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Where are we now? In the space between phone calls. In the flicking of a lighter. In the rhythm of the nighttime. In the crevice of a sunrise. In the screech of time ticking. In the farming of ourselves. In the bookshelves of some hopefulness. The walls stare. The floor dusts. […]
Written by Terrane Ansley.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – I sat in the grass that I was allergic to and waited. The sound of the head coach’s whistle was rarely heard; he opted for yelling instead. In rare moments, he would blow the whistle before letting it drop to his chest. Then he would yell. The veins on his shaved head […]
Written by Allison McCarty. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Thinking back to my childhood, my most nostalgic and familiar memories are of the early morning commutes to my grandparents’ house in my father’s pickup truck. The melodies of AC/DC and Kiss pulsing through the speakers as we traversed the stop-and-go traffic of Austin. I remember swaying to the beat with my […]
Written by Hans Barrels.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. “[People] iffy, uhBlicky got the stiffy, uhGot the blicky, uhDrum it holds fifty, uh” This is the introduction of 6ix9ine’s 2017 breakout hit “GUMMO.” The song itself spurred the creation of memes online making fun of his many 69 tattoos, rainbow hair, and scream-style rap. His appearance, however, is intentional, and the media’s […]
Written by Emma Robinson.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. — The spring 2019 semester ushered the creation of the Onyx Honor Society. The all-Black honors society formed at UT with the objectives of “the advancement and inclusivity of the black community through academic excellence, leadership, and community engagement.” The founders of Onyx are President Dayjah Harris and Internal Vice President Adriant Bereal. […]
Written by Brooke Quach. Photos by Brooke Quach. – When you walk into the entrance of the Blanton’s “Making Africa” exhibit, one of the first things you may encounter is Chimamanda Adichie’s most popular TED Talk: “The danger of a single story.” Adichie dissects how “the single story” can “flatten” another group’s experiences by constantly exposing the public to negative […]
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – The Liberator held its first Book Club on Monday, October 15th. Sitting in a circle, munching on pastries and sipping coffee, attendees discussed how they use humor as a stress reducing tactic. The discussion was centered around three satirical or humorous articles, meant to convey the message that at such a […]
Written by Sarah Low. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – There are many reasons as to why psychiatry may be one of medicine’s most unloved specialties; after all, in the eyes of many, psychiatry may as well be the practice of psychological “voodoo magic” meant to warp and control patients’ minds. Even the term “shrink” (slang oftentimes used to refer to […]
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2018 “Rebirth” Issue. My first words were the punchlines to jokes in Spanish that my grandma taught me. After I was born, both of my parents were working and attending school, so my grandma raised me. Born in Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico, she immigrated to […]
Written by Hira Vayani. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2018 “Rebirth” Issue. I wake up; it’s time College has been on my mind – for years Growing up, college was never an if; it was a when It’s almost time for my first class – I’m a complete mess What will it be […]
Written by Caroline Rock. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – On a night when you can’t seem to think straight Tears wash away a layer of your face Revealing someone you thought you’d outgrown To show you for, maybe, the person you really are A girl Trying to grow up Crawling in your own skin each day Until finally you can’t […]
