cover photograph by Mark Johnson
Mama’s Girl
Sofia Greenberg
Ride it out, the Cowgirl in me says. She’s got her mama’s worn-out turquoise boots and a bit of wheat in her mouth and she thinks in broad blushing horizons and the smell of dawn. And she ain’t scared of nothing. Read on.Adrenaline
Perry Wilson
My heart pumps hot nicotine.
The theme of the chase is blasting in my ears.
I am a steel gazelle;
a bodhisattva of destruction
exhaling death and pounding enlightenment
into asphalt beneath my rubber hoof.
Read on.creative non-fiction
I yesterday only began to love
Robin McIntosh
I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. I listen to Dad concoct his tea in the kitchen. Red rose with half a teaspoon of milk. I can direct him from counter to counter. Before he sneezes I whisper, “Bless you.”
Read on.art talk
Hauntology:
The Shadow & Spectre of the Curator
Eve Letendre
Berkeley Art Museum’s newest exhibit, Hauntology, presents the rich and tension-filled concept of “hauntology” illustrated by a variety of unsettling artwork. Curated by BAM director Lawrence Rinder and musician Scott Hewicker, the exhibit uses philosopher Jacques Derrida’s theory of “hauntology,” Read on.
The Haunting
of a Viewer
Jenny Byer
The viewing of art is a personal and transformative encounter. Informed by our past, the present moment is shaped not only by the current exhibit, but also by our previous experiences that haunt our awareness. Read on.
No Moss
Emanuel Maiberg
Invisible planes are flying above gray skies and the twenty nine seconds left on the microwave by the previous guest are imbued with a mystical power that can bring about both creation and destruction. Fat children jiggle around a heated pool while the Mexican maid pulls her daughter by the arm up a broken flight of stairs.
Read on.The Game of LOVE
Holly McDede
My boyfriend and I are playing the game of LOVE again today. Isn’t that sweet? I made the first move, beginning the game about twenty years ago. Read on.