Queer Next Up: Kostis Fokas

Kostis Fokas (he/him), is a conceptual photographer from Athens, Greece whose artistic practice revolves around the exploration of the complexities of the human body.

Queer Next Up: Kevin Atwater

Kevin Atwater (he/him) is a singer-songwriter from a small town in Illinois called Downers Grove. He gained a significant following on TikTok, and is known for sharing his personal and confessional songwriting with the world.

Coming Out(Write): Our Stories – National Coming Out Day 2022

Welcome back to Coming Out(Write): Our Stories, a social media series started in 2021. This series occurs annually during the week following National Coming Out Day (October 11th), exploring our staff’s experiences with and opinions on coming out.

patchwork

This poem was originally published in our Spring 2022 print issue “Reflections of Radiance.”

we are
building a new life
painting a new life
writing a new life

“Filthy Animals”: An Exploration of Queer Sexuality and Masculinity

I recently read “Filthy Animals” by Brandon Taylor, which was released last year in 2021. I’d been looking to read more explicitly queer novels, ones that explored themes outside traditional YA themes. “Filthy Animals” is an exploration of queer sexuality and masculinity, a book that seems to understand the contradictions between all levels of queer identity. It is a book that aims to explore generational trauma, the past haunting its characters like an ambivalent ghost where the characters crave an intimacy they haven’t before. 

i hate it that you know me

magician you don’t listen
all your tricks have worked on me
I’m in a hundred million pieces and we last spoke in my dreams
please lead me back inside the gardens where our lives and love have peaked

There is Not Only Sex in Homosexuality

Illustrated by Cole Lopez (They/Them) I am going to start this piece with a declaration of what it is not: it is not a cry against sexuality and sex. The fight for equality in the queer community includes the fight…

Love Conquers All

Illustrated by Chrys Marr (She/They) This illustration was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 2 print issue “Wanting: A Queer Beauty & Burden.“

Violence in the Shadows of the Binary

Illustrated by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This article was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 2 print issue “Wanting: A Queer Beauty & Burden.“ **Content Warning: harrassment, violence, queerphobia** “Honestly, I just saw something in you that made me insecure…

Archaic

Illustrated by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This poem was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ assembled in the literal and reaching out to touchsuits and ties and evil eyes on years and years…