Writing is an act of resistance
-
I Voted: 2016
By Diego Barrientos Acrylic, medical tape, aluminum wire, and sticker on canvas board. Artist’s statement I created “I Voted: 2016” after voting on November 8. This perfectly illustrates how it felt to participate in a rigged system. I am a Guatemalan-born California resident and an Iraq War veteran who voted for Bernie Sanders, the true…
-
First Snow Following the Election
By Shawn Aveningo There’s a hush—a stillness— that muffles the groundswell, as flurries flutter and whiteness blankets our sleep. We weep for truth, its heartbreaking loss akin to a missing dog from our youth. Our boots etch fractals in fresh powder and we search our neighbor’s eyes for a sign—hoping we are still on the…
-
Our Hitler
By Eduardo Santiago In our house, November 25 is called Markmas because it is exactly a month previous to Christmas, and it is my husband Mark’s birthday. He loves all holidays and adding another one is a tradition the rest of the family and all of our friends support. What should we call November 25th…
-
A Poem by Lisa DeSiro
Pride Party the Aging Bisexual insists his ass is still tight and invites everyone to touch it the Military Gentleman takes off his shirt and explains his tattoo and weeps the Lesbian Artist describes the found objects used for her installations the Fabulous Host kisses guests both male and female on the lips the Funny…
-
Sleeping With the Enemy
By Marcia Meier I have been sleeping with the enemy for more than two years. Rob is a Republican. But on the morning after the election, he held me close as I sobbed and promised, “It will be okay.” He promised. But he doesn’t know. And nothing that has happened since that morning has made…
-
To Gerry Mckinley
By Mark A. Murphy If poetry is not social then it ceases to have a function beyond perfume. –André Gide A life time ago in a rage of mourning, my mind bent on self-doubt and self-loathing, drudging up the many injustices of a social system hell bent on the destruction of life, I read a…
-
Breakfast
By Amanda Gomez The couple next to me is finishing their breakfast. Between a bite of grits and eggs, the woman asks: how do they let in trash like that these days? staring at the television screen, where clips of protestors gathered at the Trump Tower flash across. The news anchor covering the story chuckles…
-
Wise Counsel From a Lecture Course Grader
Dear Undergrads, As the poor soul who has been grading for this class for two semesters, suffering through countless horrifying exam answers and weak-ass essays, I have decided to share some useful exam tips with you all. WRITE LEGIBLY. If I cannot read your writing I obviously cannot understand your answer, which means I cannot…
-
California Least Tern Eggs
By Anna Stump Artist’s statement: I have painted birds periodically throughout my life, mainly as a symbol for fragility, both personal and political. “California Least Tern Eggs,” from my Terrariums series, is mixed media on paper. Terrariums began as a series depicting Passenger Pigeons, which are extinct. I’ve expanded the subject to include endangered…