Category: Past Staff

  • The Good, the Bad, and Ethical Cultivation

    The Good, the Bad, and Ethical Cultivation

    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…

  • An Open Letter to my Mother

    An Open Letter to my Mother

    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…

  • Procrastination

    Procrastination

    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…

  • In Love and In Academia

    In Love and In Academia

    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…

  • OV-99

    OV-99

    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…

  • Establishing an LGBTQA+ Literary Canon

    Establishing an LGBTQA+ Literary Canon

    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…

  • Polaroids: A Blast From the Past, Or…?

    Polaroids: A Blast From the Past, Or…?

    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…

  • A Film Review of “Us”

    A Film Review of “Us”

    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.…

  • Selenidad: How Today’s Culture Appreciates the Tejana Legend

    Selenidad: How Today’s Culture Appreciates the Tejana Legend

    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…

  • Joyce Maynard’s Story: A Second Glance

    Joyce Maynard’s Story: A Second Glance

    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,…