Solitude in the Crowd: the Journey into Iftar Photo Essay by Ushbah Al-Ain This is a collection of photographs I have taken over the last six years, chronicling moments leading into Iftar during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is the opening meal after a dry fast at sunset, upon the call of the fourth obligatory daily prayer […]
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Featured Image: Stefany Andrade On the stage and facing glaring back at me doesn’t feel the same. The applause isn’t quite as fulfilling, the sounds aren’t quite sitting correctly and all I can think about is them. Picturing their faces in the audience instead of the unfamiliar faces of my peers feels more comfortable. A […]
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Featured Illustration: ‘Swing of Love’ by Darshan Sompura Where does our childhood go When we force ourselves to grow Does it sit in the broken swings Hugging itself tight, yearning For a warmth that will never come Does it lie under the covers Shining a bright light in the middle of the night Hoping for […]
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Featured Image: Natalia Senanayake i’m like a warm coffee pot blend the paleness of milk, mixed with strength and aroma a blend of the two, learning balance and harmony. i stem from the cherry blossoms and willows rooted with love in the backyard oasis of my mother’s green thumb. and the new england drive horseshoe […]
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Featured Illustration: Ekaterina Kapranova During my elementary and middle school years, I dreaded lunch period because I was embarrassed to open up the stainless steel thermos my mom bought me from Target that was stuffed with Kebob or other Persian foods like Ghormeh Sabzi. I’d stare at the Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit […]
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South Africa lost a much-loved leader in Nobel Peace laureate and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, in December 2021. A kind and principled man and the moral compass for our country both during apartheid and after democracy in 1994, he fought vociferously to bring about change. He was an avid campaigner for international […]
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I sink my teeth into the skin of an orange child blossoming from the furtive beginnings of youth, hissing as ocherous juice spurts into my eyes, a vengeance siphoned from the soft muscle I pulled apart. In that moment of blindness, I can see Spring looming over my seated form, spouting nonsense about the child […]
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Featured Artwork: ‘Hand Studies Charcoal’ by Matt Mozgiel is meticulous lithe fingers cupping my cheeks toned from a thousand hours in latex gloves quivering with concentration and intent working tirelessly to come home to his daughter who’d barrel into his fatigued arms and the exhaustion would evaporate is gentle a sleeve darkened with a […]
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My father, vivacious— a mouth full of leaves and amrut, splurting and gushing between the crooks in his teeth, a call to the boy who punched him square in the face in a brawl on the streets of Gujranwala, the nuts he cracked while playing cards, while dealing empty cigarette boxes, a love song played […]
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