The Liberator Magazine
The Official Publication of the College of Liberal Arts
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 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 Praveena Javvadi. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. I wonder if goodbyes ever work out that way. Where you say what you think and you know what you mean. Where a goodbye is goodbye. When the moment feels likethe end of a sentence, on the last page of a book. I wonder if it ever works out that way. I wonder if they’re ever good, or less painful. I […]
Written by Alyssa Hiarker.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – We all know the horror movie experience: a darkened theatre, ominous music to set the mood, screams followed by a collective breath of laughter, strangers turned to friends as the tension builds with each new scare. There’s more to horror movies than just the moments of abject terror that come with jump scares; […]
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 Bismarck Andino, Jayla Ball, Emily Hyatt, and Anissa Reyes. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Austin’s rapid growth is challenging the food service industry as business owners struggle with today’s competitive market, staff turnover, and the high rate of property taxes and rent, an industry official said Nov. 19 in an interview. “It is tough out there,” said Kenneth […]
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 never was much for wearing jewelry every day. I wear a watch on my left wrist, over the spot I plan to remember one of you with a tattoo. Some days, I’ll wear a necklace, one from Ryan, or Turkey, or you. There’s a ring I love, made from a […]
Written by Bismarck Andino. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Despite having access to eight dining locations throughout campus, some students at the University of Texas at Austin go to classes without eating a meal. Jalesha Bass, communication and leadership and journalism double major, is one student whose eating patterns have been disrupted due to financial stress. Bass said her experience […]
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 Bismarck Andino. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – With a 20% increase of homeless animals this year and only 19 full-time animal care employees to care for them, the Austin Animal Center has experienced chronic overcrowding for the past two years, an Animal Advisory commissioner said Oct. 14 during a meeting where the Commission approved a set of amendments for no-kill practices. Austin […]
Written by Noah Van Hooser. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Although looming climate catastrophe has induced a flurry of policy proposals, impassioned punditry, and even occasional existential reorientations, it seems all varieties of environmentalism have not gone quite far enough. All too often, the language of possible ecologies inherits the baggage of reform. It is not that the very ground […]
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 Praveena Javvadi. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – For most people, college is the last time that they will be completely surrounded by people their own age. For that reason, university campuses can develop interesting dynamics and politics unique to the college environment. Some of this can be great, like good meme pages and inside jokes across campus. But […]
Written by Frida Silva. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – When the Twilight films first started being released, expressing any positive feelings for the movies meant enduring endless shame and online harassment. Just like any other pop culture phenomenon with a fan base consisting of mainly teenage girls, Twilight generated endless memes and jokes at the expense of the franchise and […]
