Travels to Trappist 1

Illustration by Manny Alvarado

We Met in Books

A piece of flash fiction by Julzette Masi

The corner of the page when I met you is so worn it will soon be broken, because I’ve read it so many times, I could recite it in my sleep if I had chosen.

The page on which we met is so etched within my mind that I couldn’t forget all that happened when we met for the first time, even if I wanted.

Even if I tore out our chapter from this novel. 

You’d still exist, in every phrase, every word. Inexplicably, wordlessly woven into the seams of my life. In every word I speak, the voice you left in me can still be heard. Even if they burned all the pages of the book to erase us, they wouldn’t be able to, for you are fused within the corners they can never find

Prickly!

illustration by Michael Almond

Who Do You Think You Are?

A poem by Ashlee Yates

You can’t ever be in a beauty pageant with that course nappy hair

Or believe you can sit in this classroom and the teacher would care!

Who Do You Think You Are?

So what! You gotta work hard, Education isn’t free!

Although my ancestors passed it down to me.

Who Do Think You Are?

These awards will always be received by me, you would have to cheat

The Storm

A poem by Jennifer McGraw

she set foot into the Storm for the first time in a while;

the song of sunflowers filled her ears with melodic tones,

her nose with its blissful, warm summer scent,

and her brain with ease

 

she no longer had to be afraid of the roaring thunder

The Open Door

Illustration by John Ivan Abrenica

Travel Poster: Trappist 1

illustration by Nanciann Morgan

The Benefits of the Internet at Any Age

An academic essay by Misty Rude

Whether you are for or against the ever-increasing internet phenomenon, you must concede that the internet is a boundless tool for children and adults alike. According to a Nielsen report released in February 2017, approximately 45 percent of U.S. children between the ages of 10-12 have their own smartphone with a service plan. Some naysayers overly criticize the incessant use of mobile phones and texting, declaring that it is obliterating the English language and making our youth less intelligent. My thoughts are more aligned with the concept that the internet and texting are introducing children to reading, writing, and spelling at a much younger age than ever before. Children and adults alike are more productive and intelligent thanks to prominent access to the internet and new technology.

The Journey Continues!

illustration by Tara Johnson