The Liberator Magazine
The Official Publication of the College of Liberal Arts
Written by Eva Strelitz-Block.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. Dendrochronology is a new word I’ve learned. It is the science of the transformation of trees. If you cut a tree down, the analysis of its rings provides insight into its seasonal experiences over time: its nutrient and climate highs and lows, its times of abundance and scarcity. It has always made sense to […]
Written by Catherina Chowdhury. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. I haven’t met anyone who picked “dare” in years. Over time, my friends and I started calling the game “truth or truth” just because it was more to the point. Then it became “hot seat,” because it wasn’t like anyone wasn’t going to answer the questions. As young people, all we could give each […]
Written by Kayla Hays. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. “We bought this for you,” said my mom, handing over a hot pink blanket which burned brightly in both the soft fabric and the forced femininity for my five-year-old self. Of course, I didn’t know to care at the time; I didn’t know to care that my blanket was hot pink and my brother’s […]
Written by Kayla Hays.Graphic by Ashley Mireles. – To my dearest Aemilia, For an hour I have sat with pen to parchment, and yet not a single word flows. Your last letter left me with too many thoughts—now they all exist inside me, fighting for equal space granted to none. But I will say that which has been plaguing my mind […]
Written by Frida Silva.Graphic by Asiyah Saeed. – “Since bathroom graffiti is done neither for acclaim nor money, it is the purest form of art. Discuss” I’ve always considered bathrooms to be an odd space. They uniquely exist in the wavering border between the public and the private, with only a flimsy stall door to divide the two. People come […]
Written by Eva Strelitz-Block.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – Jude is two years younger than me. According to family lore, the night he was born (literally in the room next door to my bedroom), I slept without waking for the first time ever. Characteristically, his arrival was noisy and chaotic. He has never once in his life finished a family dinner without […]
Written by Aryan Bhalla.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – As I stand by my windowsill in ode As I stand by my windowsill in ode To the fairies of dark symphonies above I sit, breathe you out You I cannot see You I cannot describe Your love I always breathe But your love I cannot revive. As I stand here, thanking the […]
Written by Aryan Bhalla. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – LOVE You love her, so does she.And so it is this love, that makes you we.But love her pure, as does she;For a love that is love is a symphony. Or risk her sadness, and a grieving pain.You can’t wish for love, yet you can sustain,For a love that is pure […]
Written by Marielle Glasse. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – In the body of an arrow is a man. He lays down with his arms to his sides, like a board in the desert. His stomach is carved out all the way to his feet. This eternal hunger that rules him is an arrow too. A hollow grinds in him like […]
Written by Marielle Glasse. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – There was a day when The night wet the grass and My feet came Stomping in to crush it all all those little green sprouts mocking our growth So we decided to play god We kissed concrete We hit the ground to break it before It fell out from under […]
Written by Kate Diller. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – I can’t think. I’m not sure I can feel any part of my body. Nothing is solid around me. I can’t feel the world. Where did it go? And then suddenly, there it all is. The air surrounds me again; I can feel the gases slide past my skin like water […]
Written by Harley Gutierrez. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – The warm embrace of the hellfire that burns in my heart is familiar. In two years, one cycle, like nine circles, smoldered and took seven attempts to escape. Circumambulating the situation, I spiraled into sorrow and anger – emotions inflicted or fueled by pain. The pain was so great, I can […]
Written by Kate Diller. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – He didn’t hear the footsteps behind him, hadn’t heard the bodies fall. The glass came to his lips, smooth liquor gleaming in the light from the moon above him. The shadows slipped forward, blades in hand. They faltered, though, when he turned to face them, setting his glass down on the […]
Written by Aryan Bhalla. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – Should I, Rest as I do; aimless; like a polarizing wind or must I rise above these clouds? Shrouded in mystery as my destiny and the stars hide behind these clouds. Compounded in labor as my life shies away behind these clouds. Groom my wings and face my fears, Should I […]
Written by Cameron Waltz. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – A Warm Embrace I hold him close. Don’t leave me for the World yet. You’re far too young to leave my arms. The great, wide world is one of danger and loss. I tug you back to rest, but you won’t let me hold you down. I wish I could keep […]
Written by Kate DillerGraphic by Emma Robinson – “Suddenly, or perhaps imperceptibly slowly, my lungs are empty. I cannot find air, even as my chest heaves, trying to draw it in.” – The desk beneath me is shockingly cold, distracting me momentarily from the scene before me. My attention doesn’t stray for long though, the sharp scent of blood drawing […]
