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
Familiar Traces
Directed by Izzy Mana and Enrico Bellenghi, Familiar Traces is a fashion film narrative which explores the internal pressure that second generation Black British youth face from a young age
Flee
In this rich personal essay, Augusté Nomekaité feels the weight of history on her Lithuanian identity, family, dating life, and her grappling with the horrors of the present: the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Two Poems
Two poems by Kurt Van Ristell use the political and colonial history of tea to reflect on a complicated identity and how it is perceived by others
Two Poems
With influences from Angel Nafis, queer Bangladeshi poet Amatan Noor spins an acerbic bite out of everyday realities and structures
Offscreen: Evading Whiteness in ‘Spring Breakers’
New in our b-roll column, writer Ben Lewelynn-Taylor takes a closer look at the 2012 film Spring Breakers, analyzing its undertones of racism through the lens of the current political climate
Sorry to Bother You: Reflecting on Modern Capitalism and Satirical Black Cinema
As part of our new "b-roll" film column, Vamika Sinha revisits Boots Riley's Afro-surrealist Sorry to Bother You, and why it offers important commentary on the intersections of race and late-stage capitalism in 2020.
My Skin My Logo
I’m sick and tired of the dehumanization of Black people and the exertion of control placed on our bodies. Our skin is ours, and our bodies are our own. We are not a vessel for your hatred and insecurity.
Hungry City
A sprawling essay engaging with ramen, New York, Teju Cole’s fiction, and hyphenated identities, by Vamika Sinha.
Everyone Wants a Working Class Origin Story Without having a Working Class Origin Story
“The problem in America then and now is that we muddle morality and social class. The bigger problem is that our country’s only worthy narrative is the rags to riches motif” – Samantha Neugebauer discusses class inequality and the American dream in this new essay.
(st)ars poetica
An experimental ars poetica in conversation with Teju Cole’s novel, by Vamika Sinha.
absence of the latina intellectual: some abstract theory for your ass
New in milk & vodka, a searing poem about agency, sexuality and discrimination of women, by Kim Morales.
Black Kitchen
An ode to Southern cooking and AAVE.
When I Get Home: Solange's Cartography
In When I Get Home, a title itself implying a road and destination tied to self, Solange sketches a journey, maps out the paths that have led her to this exact moment as both artist and woman and black being.
We Take What We're Given
A powerful personal essay by Samantha Neugebauer about self-image, weight, travel, love, and body positivity.
The Islander
A short story set in downtown Abu Dhabi, about a lonely figure who lives with a local tailor.
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.
Going Black: The Commodification of Hip-Hop Culture
“The commodification of hip-hop leads to a watering down of its content. As corporations try to capture as much of the market as possible, they ‘tone down’ hip-hop’s radical aspects to make it as palatable for consumers as possible.”
The Question of the Authentic Indian
In a striking short story titled Out on Main Street, the writer and visual artist Shani Mootoo deconstructs the idea of the authentic Indian identity, countering it with the notion of hybridity.
Lady Tattooer
Tzy Jiun Tan writes about female agency over the body from a tattoo parlor.