The Liberator Magazine
The Official Publication of the College of Liberal Arts
Written by Eva Strelitz-BlockGraphic by Luna Malloy. – I don’t remember the day I was born, the days leading up to my birth, or the days just after. I mean—obviously. But the stories I’ve been told about my entrance into the world feel so real it’s as if I was there, which, I suppose, I was. It’s a strange, but […]
Written by Maria SailaleGraphic by Quynhmai Tran. – I can almost always tell when someone is East African. Something about the harmony of their features, the slope of their forehead, and years of staring into my mother’s, father’s, and sibling’s faces gives it away. I grew up seeking solace in wide, sloping foreheads and high cheekbones- features that made me […]
Written by Mary Claire JacksonGraphic by Mary Claire Jackson – “If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance not be feared.” – Niccolo Machiavelli Exorbitant Lunch Before we had even arrived for lunch, Mom hosted an orientation for one in the car. As if she needed to remind me to wait […]
Written by Maya ErtayGraphic by Mary Claire Jackson. What now? He comes in and their eyes meet Light streams, the beat, Both are silent but eager. The softness, the melody: Leyli Menal. So obvious yet hidden, All those novels of love forbidden. See them meeting, See them dancing. The ballroom of lonely souls Wandering around Just to let their weak […]
Written by Kayla Hays.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – Content Warning: This article features content that might be triggering to those with histories of domestic violence. Please read with caution. – Ever since I was small, all I have held were words. Words for my mother when she scolded me, still as gentle as ever, as if tending a plant. […]
Written by Olivia Oswald. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – In a nursery lies a sleeping girl, Dreaming of bliss beyond the stars. Forever wishing for an adventure, Something she can hold close to her heart. She sleeps between the veil Of the unconscious and the aware, Soon she’ll feel his presence, Waking her up to hold his stare. His nearness is alarming, […]
Written by Kara Hildebrand. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. — TW: allusions to sexual assault and body image insecurity — Multiplicity I am many things; none of them constant, none of them tangible enough for me to grasp: a price tag, a dying flower, a mannequin. I belong to the ads that redirect me to clothes that don’t fit right that redirect […]
Written by Avani Chhaya.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran– The miles of hurt – s t r e t c h –through the deserted terrain,exposed to the relentless sun Baked and crackingbeneath this oppressive heatbearing down upon us Accumulated like airline mileage,I stack hurt awayin a beaten, worn-down suitcase The hurt elongatesshape-shifting with ambiguous intentionstaking the form of believable promises, of naive […]
Written by Frida Silva.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran.– During the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles, they dined on bread and wine. “Do this in remembrance of me,” he said. “The bread is my body and the wine is my blood.” Shortly after the Last Supper, Jesus was crucified. According to Christianity, the crucifixion of Jesus plays a central […]
Written by Eunsu Cho.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. Broken feeling empty is when you don’t know whether to fill the cup back up again, or whether to break the cup so it can never be filled again Spring they call it beautiful renewing awakening blooming but I call it struggling growing hurting under blissful gazes of the ignorant people who romanticize […]
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 […]
The Liberator Magazine 