The new mask doesn’t squeeze, scrunch my ears.End of day, indentations where it pressed against my facein the staff bathroom mirrorlike marks around my eyes after swimming, unclamping my goggles, lines—here, my skin said yes, here no. I am jealous of the way my body asserts legibly. Wish it could etch how I feel about returning to the pool, starting […]
Read more
awe-struck at our smoothbrained lexiconspeaking in diluted idioms (esperanto is giving failure)which is beautiful in this Dark Age apocalyptic way, we’ll soon begiving monk, we’ll be monkbossing intothe sun, and she is just like me for realour very own Hands Across the World are people still playing songs backwardslistening for secret messages? i feel hot and gauzylike i’ve been set […]
Read more
after the Highland Park Shooting on July 4th I feel safenowhere at all.Not in my tiny tin home. Not driving through town–bleached storefronts, red caps,flags waving blue lives ahead. Not hiking through the forest,camouflaged a target,deer lurking, hunters licensedand hungry for a kill. They claim the fear of bulletsis a fear of the humanwho commands […]
Read more
Soje is a poet and the translator of Lee Hyemi’s Unexpected Vanilla (Tilted Axis Press, 2020), Choi Jin-young’s To the Warm Horizon (Honford Star, 2021), and Lee Soho’s Catcalling (Open Letter Books, 2021). They also make chogwa, a multimedia zine that features one Korean poem and multiple English translations per issue.
Read more
Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Black Joy Unbound: An Anthology Inspired by a deep longing for writing that embodies the vivacity of Blackness and Black life, Black Joy Unbound is a multi-genre collection that encompasses a broad spectrum of literary writing on Black joy. Maps You Can’t Make by Mariella Saavedra […]
Read more
The blow-up castle blooms like a ghost in their backyard. It’s bubble gum pink. Mara’s boyfriend can’t see it, gives her a look like not now, please when she points out the kitchen window. His mother is here for Christmas. They’ve removed certain books from their shelves, have taken down Mara’s paintings of naked women […]
Read more
Katie Manning’s collection, How to Play: Poems Inspired By Games, opens the door to a fantastical world where Monopoly Scottie dogs, Candy Land children, and Scrabble titles come to life to reassure the reader of their experiences. In the ongoing political climate and struggle with the pandemic, nostalgia has become a comforting balm. Longing for […]
Read more
This concrete-jungle had been painted green for my arrival, which was in great contrast to the sandy oasis of the Phoenix valley that I previously called home. Rumbling over the Whitestone Bridge, I caught the first glimpses of the Manhattan skyline delicately balanced on top of the shattered-glass East River. The taxi swerved around highway […]
Read more
Kweli Fellowship Program (until 10/13): Early career vocational writers living in New York City, who are not enrolled in degree-granting programs, who have not yet contracted to publish a book, and who self-identify as Black, Native/First Nations, POC, and/or Arab American are invited to apply for Kweli’s year-long fellowship program. To apply, upload a cover […]
Read more
Allison Liu (she/her) is a queer Chinese American photographer and writer currently studying in the Boston area. She can often be found working on her novel, reading speculative fiction, and conducting bioengineering research. Her work has appeared in or is forthcoming in Yellow Arrow Vignette, The Violet Hour Magazine, The Foredge Review, Crashtest Magazine, Cloudy […]
Read more
VAGABOND CITY 