Since the Vietnam War, violent conflict has been made visible to even the least likely victims, on televisions, then phones, now raging across social media—and laden with passionate opinions, well-informed and not. From politicians and universities around the globe to PEN America to Oscar Awards speeches, emotionally bloody conflict—about conflict—reigns over solutions, while innocent civilians suffer. [...]
By Maira Faisal “You ask: What is the meaning of ‘homeland’? "They will say: The house, the mulberry tree, the chicken coop, the beehive, the smell of bread, and the first sky. "You ask: Can a word of eight letters be big enough for all of these, yet too small for us?” — from In the [...]
By N. de Vera I fidgeted at the line for immigration after arriving at LAX. When it was my turn, I calmly answered the officer’s questions, hoping this was a routine interview that would go smoothly. However, when I saw that look on his face, I knew what I was in for—again. “Wait here, ma’am,” [...]
To Refaat Alareer, who became a kite Brother, you looked so loving, holding very gently that box of strawberries, and behind your home, not yet, not again, but incessantly in ruins. You were not a number, you were, an educator, a cheerful poet, settler’s boogeyman, and now that you’re dead, English is also [...]
By Jenna Mayzouni A social media influencer had posted that he looked up how many people were killed in Gaza who shared his name. Morbid curiosity seized me, and I searched for mine. On November 1,[1] there were 18 Jenna/Janas killed in Gaza. On my birthday every year, my mother recounts the story of my [...]
By Abdulrazaq Salihu 3’ [...]
By Laura Grace Weldon Our daily walk is a simple necessary practice, especially now when each day’s news spirals us into tighter circles. Beyond birdsong and breezes we hear jeering laughter, see teens jumping on an elderly neighbor’s hay bales, hooting as their weight breaks his farm’s winter food into uselessness. They grew up on [...]
by stephanie roberts for Shay Stewart Bouley At 1:51PM, on 02 July 2017, @blackgirlinmain said, To all the white folks who are waking up, stop blocking and ignoring your racist peeps. Talk to them, work with them. That's your work. The first comment was from self described Owner/Attorney, "Learning to do right; seek justice. Defend [...]
By Jemshed Khan That day over lunch, I was going to write about the Yemenites starving while the Saudis build five new palaces on the Red Sea. A poem might make a difference. But the sun was shining, 75 degrees in October, and the outdoor pool is heated, so I went for a swim instead. [...]
By Ellen Stone Deep in the bright red country of the sun, the birds of America raucous, wild, immigrant gather, having flocked in bands surged over borders as snow melts. By July, they rise early to the party in full bloom – voices piercing our cottony night dreams – having taken temporary residence in tiny [...]
By Tim Philippart what worries me is not a great one in China. a razed wall in Berlin, one for holy wailing or, the proposed between Mexico and the US but, the barrier that dams the flow of empathy, compassion and kindness between you and me. Tim Philippart: For three years, I have been [...]
By Marleen S. Barr Baby cages were the last straw for Professor Sondra Lear, a feminist science fiction scholar par excellence. She had tears in her eyes whenever she thought about children wrenched from their parents’ arms. Desiring to drown out her sorrows in a morning cup of coffee, she boiled water and placed a [...]
By Harry Youtt Life goes on. Skies turn darker gray, Lightning has been striking the trees awhile. We expected the storm, but this hasn’t eased the burden. Already thunder booms around us, as we sit down, crouched again together to another meal, thankful for the way the fire in the grate keeps us warm enough [...]
