What gathers in the gutter Take a look at this image: a 1960s housewife, casually mopping up a pool of blood by the fridge. A severed arm and a shoe falling out of a sack on the floor. This piece is from a book called Lady Killer, about a picture-perfect domestic housemaker/killer-for-hire. Comic book storytelling exists in all aspects of the book, from front … Continue reading Comic books and their spaces for storytelling
Elizabeth Acevedo on origin, body, and belonging In her 42-page poetry chapbook from YesYes Books, Beastgirl & Other Origin myths, Elizabeth Acevedo explores the stories from which she comes. Some pulling directly from common folklore, and some are of herself/her own body. The first poem, “La Ciguapa,” is about a figure from Dominican folklore—a demon with dark eyes, immense black hair, and backward-facing feet. She is … Continue reading Multiplicitous Mythologies
On comics and motivation Juston McKee is a cartoonist in San Diego. He is the creator of Uppermind Ink, his own imprint where he edits and publishes a comic anthology called Restless Minds. I met up with Juston earlier this month at Sheldon’s Service Station in La Mesa, California to talk comics, process, and motivation. Juston: When I did my short comic for this … Continue reading Interview with cartoonist Juston McKee, part one
Ben White is the curator of Nanoism, an online publication for Twitter fiction. These are stories that are no longer than 140 characters and contain a depth that can challenge what content lies within 140 pages. This is flash fiction to the extreme. Born and produced on Twitter, any author with an account can try their hand at this craft. The publication has been active … Continue reading A Review of November
Our classroom is high tech. We sit facing each other at circular tables, grouped around computers fit into the center of our community desks. A monitor is fit to the wall above each table. There are about six or seven of these set ups. We are sitting at a back table and it’s only the second or third day of class. Our professor is going … Continue reading Let’s Talk Digital Literature
Tattoos are not for everyone. They are not for my grocery store check out lady who can only see people skin deep. They are not for the girl in my class who has a Pinterest board with thousands of quotes she swears she lives by. They are not for everyone. But for those who do have one, or two, or thirty, tattoos are there to … Continue reading Sorry Mom: Tattooed Stories
300 Arguments in Under 300 Words Sarah Manguso’s prose reads like a diary: executed in one sentence bits which together creates content that is in constant play with form. Often, content and form are seen as two separate bodies that meet only before final assembly, but rather it’s balanced like a vase with flowers in it. Both a vase and arrangement of flora can be beautiful … Continue reading 300 Arguments
Where the fantastic narrative meets realistic poetry Lately, there has been an influx of writers who write both fiction and poetry. However, there are rarely writers who feature both genres in one single publication. R.M. Drake’s 2016 Beautiful & Damned collection of short stories and prose poetry represents the uniqueness of a combination of genres from a single author in one publication. Drake has self-published … Continue reading Beautiful & Damned by R.M. Drake
Hummus dip, twinkling lights, and a few short films The air was cold, muffled chatter filled the walkways, and the smell of homemade hummus made its way through the tall pillars and straight to our hungry noses. The annual Arab Film Festival was back. While the Arab Film Festival has taken place in San Diego for the past five years, the Shorts Program was a … Continue reading Karama Arab Film Festival: The Shorts Program
One Woman, One Brush, One World Kinda Hibrawi is a Syrian-American artist based in Irvine, California. She is a talented creator, director, and humanitarian. Her art is where the East meets the West and where language meets imagery. Not only does she use her art as a means of self expression but she paints to make a difference in the world. Hibrawi is heavily involved … Continue reading Interview with Kinda Hibrawi
Demitasse Journal 