I could not chug the thin milk. My child mouth was too weak and would not allow the thrust of liquid down my narrow throat. Instead, I packed the litre down as fast as my will would let me, in small, single gulps. […]
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“Reimagining the Canadian Multiculture” Academic Essay by Helen Wagner
When Canada’s Multiculturalism Policy first emerged in 1971 it was primarily reactionary in nature, seeking to define Canada’s multicultural identity in opposition to two cultural models familiar to the Canadian public: the first, the American “melting-pot” mentality and the second, Canada’s previous cultural structure, biculturalism. However, the Canadian multiculture long predates the policy, stretching back, theoretically, to the nation’s establishment […]
“Company Retreat” Fiction by John Connell
Brian and Priya were the last to step off the bus, both on shaky legs from sitting so long. They had left early in the morning so the sun was high in the sky by now, beating down on them both. Brian fanned himself with his faded baseball cap.
“This is the camp?” he asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder […]
“Rookie” Poem by Joy Gyamfi
I’ve never been in love, yet you seem so familiar
I’m scared I’ve said too much, I’ve never opened up
I know it’s weird, cause we just met, but there’s something about you
I’d like to hold your hand and kiss your cheek beneath a summer moon
“Zayn Malik Leaves One Direction For Me” Poem by Tess LeBlanc
Zayn Malik tells Harry, “Look, she’s the only thing
that got me through the touring years, and now
I have to be with her.” Zayn Malik calls me a tempting
animal. Zayn Malik knows he had the best voice […]
“Planting Life” Fiction by Halle Gulbrandsen
There I am, ripped overalls and parted bangs, digging under the hazel tree out back.
I’m planting teeth. Two baby teeth came out in an apple that morning, milk white in the browning fruit. My tongue fits perfectly into the soft space the teeth vacated and it tastes like that chainlink fence we pressed our tongues to last winter […]
“Mr. Pither’s House” Poem by Jennifer Irvine
Wizened red cedar siding fades
into neighbourhood at the end of my laneway
as subtle as a home after a house-wrecking party.
I walk through decades of tiny moments with
my eye only on his basement window […]
“How to Think About Magic” Poem by Rachel Glassman
My aunt sits by the river and feeds honey and flowers to the spirits. She makes a painting of a water goddess and tells me, Aspire to holy compassion. She gives me a sequined flag, a feather boa, and some dark red beads. When I am fifteen she says, You are very very old and, Wait for love, it is coming and you’ll recognize it […]
“Feathertip” Poem by Afeed Areifiz
I’ve written about “my people” before
and then I’ve heard them call back “your people?”
Who now gave you our voices? You lived in a home
made of foreign paper with foreign walls […]
“Wasps.” Poem by Amy Gill
I was supposed to stand still
You were supposed to leave me alone.
I didn’t even breathe as you crawled over my feet and knees
I kept my eyes wide open […]
“Interrogating the Ideological Centre of School Spaces: Spatial Reinforcement and Resistance of Cis-normativity in Alex Gino’s George” Academic Essay by Julia Tikhonova
Functioning as microcosms of society’s social inequalities, schools often mirror social norms and ideologies, providing a significant context in which children begin to form and understand gender identities. The complex cultural arena of this “hidden curriculum” is portrayed in Alex Mino’s George, wherein the protagonist struggles to find a means to express her identity as a transgender girl […]
“ATTENTION ALL TREES” Poem by Halle Gulbrandsen
pick up
your roots run while there’s
still time they’re coming
hungry armed with axes […]
About the Contributors
About Our Contributors Cameron Bullen is a Biology student in his fourth year at UBC. His recent decision to add a minor in English Literature represents his desire to combine his passion for nature and his love of books. When not struggling to learn a new academic formatting style, he can probably be found somewhere outside. Emma Coffin
“Touch #1” and “Vanitas 4/10” Visual Art by Sophia Murray
“Touch #1” and “Vanitas 4/10” Visual Art by Sophia Murray (click to enlarge images) Vanitas is a 17th century Dutch genre of still life painting that served as a memento mori. I wanted to build on and offer my own interpretation of this traditional genre through a series of prints. I explored the idea of mark-making