What does it mean to be human? Is it defined by our imminent mortality? Our ability to feel deeply and think curiously? Or is it rooted in the connections we form (and sever) with the world, people, and things around us? Our submissions shed light on these complicated questions.
Our fiction pieces explore the happenings throughout various stages of our lives. In one story, a personified newborn star is driven to find its purpose at a feast, surrounded by beings more seasoned in living life. Another piece follows a hopeless romantic on an intimate journey with their sexuality through an unexpected first love. The last story presents an older woman’s battle with cognitive deterioration in a mind-bending form.
Our poetry pieces find relationships at the centre of a rather taxing existence: a little girl is caught between identities and considers whether social categorizations matter in the pursuit of finding herself, and a narrator reconciles power with personal autonomy. Another poem is about longing to escape to happier places, while another questions the future of our relationship with technology. The final poem regards the in/significance of human experiences when chewed through by time.
We would like to thank our talented contributors—Esraa Abdalla, India Brown, Griffin Sherriff-Clayton, Sophie Corbiere, Kirsty MacLellan, and Niko Haloulos—for sharing their pieces with us. We hope you enjoy this issue.
—Written by Jessica Lappin
Edited by Lisa Grieve, EiC
Inspired by the poetry style of CAConrad, The Book of Franks follows a girl named France as she navigates the tensions between her French and German heritage. Through the exploration of gender identity, language, and national heritage, both France and the poem break free from these contemporary rules and restrictions.
Keychain is a poem of interconnected passages about time and space. The poem makes meaning of the past by invoking references from history, fairy tales, and mythology.
puppet master is a poem exploring the idea of giving up power and control within relationships, playing with dynamics of the powerful and powerless, from the perspective of the puppeteer.
antidote reflects on the desensitization of humanity from the onset of information technology, acting as a numbing tool for not only their pain but their empathy.
In a one-sided mental battle with the cars at a stop sign, the mind of an older woman begins to unravel—taking readers on a winding experience through the story’s experimental form.
salt, citrus, and sweat creates an intense atmosphere of longing for summer vacation, tropical relaxation, and undeniable heat. The poem shows the power in longing for such summer fantasies while hoping for deliverance.
A young star searches for its life’s purpose at a cosmic banquet, musing over the philosophical before the awe-inspiring feast.
A childhood fascination with the moon leads to a youthful romance as the narrator reflects on love and gender while searching for stability in their tumultuous life.