The Funnies, Justine Newman My family moved this week. This morning, my mom told me she was going to come “check my room” at some point, which means to evaluate whether my unpacking and cleaning is satisfactory. As usual, her need…
How to Survive a Pandemic, Ashley Webster A guided house tour: spring break, March 13-21, 2020, Prospect Heights, IL. FRENCH WINDOWS In the mornings I sit in an armchair in front of them, staring out into a yard the size…
Lettuce Hug, Christina Guzman She was a flying fist of fury hurling hate, that faint tinge of red flaring beneath the yellow flesh of olive skin. A stark contrast of her sunset orange blush. Who knew those almond shaped painted lips…
A Slow Decay, Ashley Webster I come across her near the water. She is sitting on top of a picnic bench, her slippers and a couple cans of Monaco strewn beside her, glinting in the low light. A purple butterfly clip…
Meditation on Postmodernism, Jaxon Ke’anoi Bonsack Most importantly: food. Good food. Some families think those bullshit little hors d’oeuvres will cut it, but they won’t. You really think Lisa and her six kids won’t complain if they drove from…
The Japanese House, Effie Jia (Imitation of Vincent Scarpa’s “I Go Back to Berryman’s”) All the Chevys were from different eras—a candy-apple ‘63 Impala, a wine red ‘85 Monte Carlo, a maroon ‘07 HHR—and if you see them, you’ll see…
Skin Mask Replica, Hunter Louis i am drinking earl grey tea even though it is slightly bitter because i miss my mother and she always drank it at home and my bone bruise is making sure i know that just because…
An Ode to Breakfast, Emma Lassiter I was scared, that day. The last time I had been scared in that house was when I was seven, and my big sister and I were sleeping over; but a thunderstorm woke me…
Poppies and WD-40, Chloe Moulin Morning consists of showering the body, donning the clothing, assembling the self. I wrestle into a tee shirt, and oftentimes a collared shirt atop it, a sweater, a jacket. I like things that cover my neck.…
Immersed, Abigail Nasari “The people or countries that seem to have the highest happiness index seem to embrace the chaos of being human, meaning they don’t pretend that life is anything other than chaotic and random.” -Andrew French BestFriend is…
Precious, Rose Horell No one stays in Calcutta, India forever. Scan the headlines of the nearest copy of Calcutta Times or The Telegraph and you’ll almost certainly find an op-ed lamenting the brain drain. The education minister’s desperation is palpable…
Rose-Covered Glasses, Margaret Wright I know her like she’s mine. Little sister, little child, little rhyme. We float in the gray-between; one of my hands holds her as a sister while the other tucks her to sleep, maternal lullabies and…
Precious, Rose Horell TW: Child Abuse I. “Do you think I’d look good as a blonde?” I ask my sister Cassandria as we sit in parallel spa chairs at Grace’s Nail Salon. Toes tied in tissue to prevent us from smudging…
Behaviorism, Arjun Saatia TW: Domestic Violence, Drug Abuse I loved when my father explained his tattoos to me. I’d stare wide-eyed and mystified at the letters scrawling across his skin, the images of little ink men battling…
“junior year prom, mom had to unzip my dress because i was having a panic attack and couldn’t breathe”, Evelyn Staats TW: Eating Disorder The women of Mitski’s songs are dirty. Their rooms are a mess. Their bodies run lawless.…
Skyhopping, Alessia Potovsky Something about the hissing of the onions, scallions, garlic, and country pepper no – scotch bonnet, it’s scotch bonnet pepper here. Something about the hissing of the onions, scallions, garlic, and scotch bonnet pepper in the pot on…
Forbidden, Meghan Bauman I had this dream once that felt like it had been stripped from an indie Halloween movie: exposed brick walls, threadbare fear scattered across the floor like breadcrumbs, a ghostly presence unfolding in rattling noises and too-cold indoor…
Opulent, Taharah Islam Step 1. Massage product into scalp and rinse thoroughly. Recall what she taught you about the Roman funeral: how it was the only time in antiquity that a woman would wear her hair down. How she would stand…
Rose-Covered Glasses, Margaret Wright My Grandmother’s diary entry for September 8, 1943 reads: “Italy surrendered. Permed my hair.” Growing up, I spent most of my time with her, our houses only seventeen steps apart. I’d lay on the floor looking…
Poppies and WD-40, Chloe Moulin I remember when Julia and I hopped a wall by the river to recreate her parents’ wedding day. The only thing between us and that convent courtyard was a three-foot stone wall with spike-wired bars. We…
The Complexity of Detail, Olivia Offutt I found the tense of life in my college French 102 class that I took because everyone I knew was in Spanish and French is the language of Voltaire, West Africa, and pretension. “le…
Immersed, Abigail Nasari Mami… todos son gringos. You arrive. Take in the brick buildings decorated by fresh-cut grass and towering trees before you take in how much heavier your skin feels here. You will learn what it feels like to…
