by Emma Bernstein art by Belle McDonald Even if you’ve never been, even if you grew up in the claustrophobic crush of a city where no one knows their neighbors’ names, a corner of your memory is reserved just for … Continue reading One Promised Happy Day
by Vee Cipperman The six of us bundle up and out to Coney Island—which isn’t an island, as much as a salted strip of land that cuts a rind around New York. The Q train rumbles from underground tunnels to … Continue reading December: Coney Island
by Evelyn Kennedy Jaffe art by Havi Rojer Dear Strawberry Queen, The first time I met you I was about five years old. You towered above me on a beautiful plinth covered with vines, strawberries, and leaves, and you were … Continue reading Love Letter to the Strawberry Queen
by Stephanie Tom When I say the word “circus” or “carnival,” I expect that most people have similar impressions that come to mind. We think of elephants and clowns, of death-defying acts by acrobats in glittering leotards. We imagine the … Continue reading The Spectacle of Subjugation: A Brief Overview of the Dark Histories Behind Circuses in the United States
by Megan Rochlin This year, for the first time in over a century, there was no Carnival in Brazil. There was no Desfile de Campeones in Rio de Janeiro; the samba schools did not parade in reds and greens and … Continue reading What We Lost When We Lost Carnival
by Kathleen Anderson art by Belle McDonald Six There is magic in the air. Everywhere I look there are new people, colors, and adventures calling to me. I turn around and glance up at the towering sign bearing the word … Continue reading A Ride Through the Ages
by Bex Pendrak and Evelyn Kennedy Jaffe The mythos of the carnival continues to follow you throughout your entire life. As a child, you’re entranced by the bright lights and the fried food and the big prizes and the rides … Continue reading Funhouse Mirrors: Body Dysmorphia/Gender Dysphoria
by Stephanie Tom art by Havi Rojer It wasn’t until yesterday I realized that the two succulents I had potted earlier in the year had withered into husks a few weeks ago. They had lived and died within the span … Continue reading Post-Ghost Elegy for Spring Succulents
by Havi Rojer I’m feeling devious / You’re looking glamorous / Let’s get mischievous / And polyamorous / Wine and women and wonderful vices / Welcome to the cult of Dionysus “The Cult of Dionysus,” The Orion Experience The word … Continue reading A Very Short History of Bacchanalia & Dionysia
