Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, Black Fathers, and White Women
EIC Zoe Patterson weaves together an analysis of Kendrick Lamar's new album with grief over her relationship with an absent parent
Spectacular Faults
TW: physical and sexual abuse
An excerpt from Sondra R. Brooks’ unpublished memoir, this personal essay paints a childhood haunted by the damaging spectre of hypermasculine, alpha father figures
Soliloquies
Swiveling between memories in Sharjah, Dubai and Cairo, Noor Tannir’s vulnerable personal essay grapples with themes of anxiety, grief, and family illness
Itthon (At Home)
In a series of personal vignettes, Rose Gove traces their evolving relationship with the country of Hungary
Two Auditions
In this memoir piece, Ernestine Whitman looks back on her journey as a young girl to becoming a professional flutist
Time for Tea: Reminiscing Routines
New in our invisible cities column, Farah Fawzi Ali uses the medium of tea-infused memories in different cities to weave a tender personal essay
A Brief History of Tea
“Daddy used to write in my birthday cards, ‘I love you more than all the tea in China.’ That’s a lot of tea and a lot of love.” — new in arts & culture by HLR
Karak Chai
Ghina Athirah Furqan’s recipe-memoir is a soft retelling of family
> on my iPhone
A memoir of family, New York streets, grocery items, crushes, and more, made entirely out of iPhone notes.
The Pandemic Radically Altered My Relationship with India. I Don’t Know If I Can Ever Go Back
A personal essay explores navigating the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the surrounding political turmoil, and their effects on identity and belonging
Therein, A Life in Pieces
JP Seabright’s autofiction lays bare the realities of living with a chronic illness and its impact on the quotidian
An Archive of Absences
In this personal essay, Susanne Niemann considers her family history and roots in Germany, and the need to document memory
A Knotty Problem: Politics of My Hair
When cutting your hair is a radical act – Lubnah Ansari unpacks the social paradigms surrounding the politics of female hair in the South Asian context
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
Chest Pain
"The diagnosis was Enlarged Heart Syndrome. I failed to understand why they intoned the news like they were reporting a death—I agreed with the diagnosis ..." – new in fiction by Vongai Mlambo.
Consuming My Country
“Before the Philippines’ war on drugs and long before World War II, Japanese migrants brought [halo-halo] to my country” – Isabella Peralta examines her Filipina heritage through a popular local dessert.
The Historical is the Personal — Reflections on Postcolonial Guilt, Mi Koo Buns, and Writing History
In this incredible essay, Tzy Jiun Tan brings together food, personal history, languages, postcolonialism and myths to talk about human narrative.
Through the Forest
A short story of mystery and suspense set in Indonesia, by Dayin Wijaya.
The Joy of Jollibee
In this lyrical personal essay, Louise Gerodias reflects on the importance of the Jollibee fast-food chain in her own life and in Filipino culture at large.
We Take What We're Given
A powerful personal essay by Samantha Neugebauer about self-image, weight, travel, love, and body positivity.