Ladies in Waiting
A short story by Kayla Koontz takes place in a vague, fantastical nowhere island, offering a gendered, implicit critique of the futility of imperialist conquest
Accent Politics
In this personal essay, Zambian-born Mbiko Mayaka explores her relationship to language, touching on code switching and the manifestation of social hierarchy and inequalities on the tongue
geomorphology
Lillian Snortland pairs Columbus’ travels with the representation of women in this striking new poem.
Amma, Acha & Malayalam ft. english
“This new city gentrifies her tongue; / he wonders if he can build “ – Aathma Nirmala Dious’ new poem weaves her parents’ lives and history with their migration to the Gulf from Kerala, India.
Hazed
“After we finished crying there was still a lot to do” – Hazed is a short collection of poetry on the total penetration of the palm oil industry in our daily life, as well as its oft unseen effects on animals, plants, and indigenous communities.
Nantes is on Fire
Jordan McDonald offers a forgotten history of the African slave trade in the French city of Nantes, and its legacy today.
"Origins"
“this poem began in the belly of a fish in the south china sea” – Jamie Uy traces her roots and histories in this tumbling prose poem.
With You I Breathe
“My mother is the greatest feminist I know” – a daughter learns and unlearns the manifestos passed down to her by birth.
My name, ምዕራፍ
Mhraf Worku's poem weaves Amharic and English in a personal reflection of self, cultural and national identity.
US Embassy
“I wanted to punch Uncle Sam and scream” – Tzy Jiun Tan visits the US embassy in Malaysia, in a poem amid the Trump regime.
Grandfather's God
Mhraf Worku takes us to the heart of a religious ritual, stained with apprehension and family history.
Alphabet for the Second Language
Tzy Jiun Tan recontorts the alphabet to free herself from a colonial tongue.
study abroad
When the privileges of studying abroad lead to reflections on the history of colonialism, imperialism, and globalization. New in milk & vodka.
Rendang Outrage, or Why I Write Poetry
If you haven’t already heard about what happened, look up the words “Masterchef UK”, “Rendang”, and “Zaleha” on Youtube. In her fierce new essay, Tzy Jiun Tan discusses otherness, racism, and the failure of postcolonial theory in the face of real life situations.
Only in Poetry, I have power
A middle finger to white guilt. New in milk & vodka.
It is more than just Rendang
Food is cultural history and ancestral pride. Tzy Jiun Tan writes about Malaysian Rendang.
Baguettes
How do you say chopsticks in French? Poetry from Paris’ Chinatown by Tzy Jiun Tan