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 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 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 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 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 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 […]
