Wolves, Forests, and Witches: The Humanity of Spooky Tales by Zora Grizz
Imagine that you and I are settled in around a glowing campfire. It’s late here. The moon is hidden behind the clouds. We brought the makings for s’mores – but more than that, we’ve brought spooky stories to tell each other. The forest around us is thick and dark, and a wolf howls somewhere in the distance. At least…we think it’s a wolf….we hope it’s a wolf.
The Astrophysics of Earthly Relationships by Zora Grizz
You know what I want? I want those nebulous, undefined, unpossessive, healthy, relationships that are deep and meaningful and transcend conventional definitions. I cannot get enough of them. Yet modern media often can’t handle womxn and mxn having those types of relationships.
Should I Watch the Movie First?: Classic Literature and Film Adaptations by Kyle Talag
When I was thirteen years old, I decided to dip my toes into classic literature. I started with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen because it's supposedly beginner-friendly.
I ordered a cheap copy online; when the parcel arrived, I was thrumming with excitement as I tore it open. But even with a hefty dictionary beside me, trying to read the first line had me intimidated and lost.
How the Murderbot Books Hurled a Wonderful Projectile Into My Processor With Their Insightful Cleverness by Zora Grizz
I just finished the complete Murderbot series by Martha Wells (I chose the format of audiobooks narrated by Kevin R. Free, which were phenomenal) and I’ve been trying to wrap my head around why I absolutely adore this series; to understand why it resonates so strongly...why the chord it plucks deep within my own experiences are ones so intimately known, in such a multidimensional way.
5 Books That Made Me Fall in Love with Reading (Again) by Ari Snyder
I am a firm believer in New Year’s resolutions . As one year ends and another begins — and the days are at their darkest — I find it helpful to throw myself into a new hobby or practice a new skill. At its best, New Year’s resolutions are a fundamentally hopeful practice that helps us recognize our ability to change and grow and start anew, even in times of struggle. I especially love reading resolutions.
You’ve Heard of “Beach Reads”, Now Gird Your Frosty Loins for “Winter Reads” by Zora Grizz
One of my favorite things to do during the coziest of seasons is to curl up with a good book in my armchair by the window, sip on a mug of hot apple cider, and watch the snow falling through the soft lamplight.
But what to read?!
The Thanksgiving Guide to Colonialism by Zora Grizz
If you like learning about truths, I encourage you to read further.
If you like Thanksgiving, I encourage you to pause here and consider if you want to choose this particular adventure.
Isn't that nice, being given a choice?
Where's My Teenage Dream?: Consuming Foreign Media, Comparing Myself, and the Feeling of Missing Out on Life by Kyle Talag
There I was, watching the downpour through my window, stuck in quarantine in the height of the pandemic. I was daydreaming of a summer romance in Cousins Beach, entertaining the idea of camaraderie and burgers at Luke’s Diner, wishing to be as cool as characters in K-Dramas.
“Love is Loud”: On Sloppy Jane’s Madison — Two Years Later by Ari Snyder
I have always found it very difficult to write about love, regardless if it is for people, for places, or for things. It’s hard to tack down an emotional experience so vast with just words. Love is huge, terrifying, unfathomable, calamitous, and persistent. It can’t be ignored. It refuses to be ignored.
A Heartfelt (actually feeling your heart with a clawed, corpse hand) Ode to My Favorite Spooky Novel: Darcy Coates’ Gallows Hill by Zora Grizz
Spooky runs through my veins (literally – ask any haunted house designer or movie-magic maven, blood is super spooky). For many, a list of their favorite things would include raindrops on roses or maybe whiskers on kittens. But for me? It’s darkened halls and a shadow moving where it shouldn't…
The Best Seats in the House (to View the End of the World) by Emie H
At age twenty-three, I’m unsure if I’ll continue to be a lifelong superhero fan.
“Some Rules are Made to be Broken”: Zombieland and Obsessive Compulsive DisorderBy Ari Snyder
As the weather gets colder, the days get shorter and the leaves begin to change colors, it is once again time for everybody’s favorite fall holiday — I am, of course, talking about OCD Awareness Week.
Review: Mitski’s The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We by Ari Snyder
Over the course of her nearly 12 year career, the mononymous musician Mitski has said many things about love. In “Square,” a track from her 2013 album Retired from Sad, New Career in Business, she cuts to the quick of the matter with scalpel-sharp precision: “God's very simple and love doesn't burn.”
A Two Month Retrospective on Barbie: To Worship Her, or Not to Worship Her, That Is the Question by Emie H.
Welcome, reader. Now that I have you here, I earnestly hope that you-who-clicked at least enjoyed Barbie (2023), because there is tremendous bias to behold throughout the forthcoming wordcount. I absolutely loved Greta Gerwig’s interpretation of Barbieland. I was absolutely transfixed during Barbie's runtime; I was transformed by the time I left the theatre.
Review: Caitlin Starling’s Last to Leave the Room by Ari Snyder
Horror fans of the world, our time is approaching. Fall is here, and soon spooky season will be in full swing. I’m always on the hunt for new horror media in the fall, and if you’re like me in this regard, you’ll want to check out Caitlin Starling’s new book from St. Martin’s Press, Last to Leave the Room.
I’m Mad About It: Novels Using Sexual Assault as a Surprise Plot Point by Zora Grizz
I’ve recently read three otherwise amazing novels that have all disturbed me for the same unusual reason: they used sexual assault as a surprise-subplot or weird character journey late in the story.
Four Asian Film Recommendations for Poetry Lovers by Kyle Talag
Four Asian Film Recommendations for Poetry Lovers
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Review: Bottoms is a Bloody Good Time by Ari Snyder
It’s no secret to anyone with a pulse and a Netflix subscription that the American film industry is in crisis right now. We as viewers have likely yet to feel the worst of the effects of the combined WGA and SAG strikes, and even before that, things have been… not great. But in our darkest hour, a hero has come to save us all from the endless slog of reboots, sequels, and cinematic universes — Emma Seligman’s sophomore directorial outing, Bottoms.
Review: Hua Hsu’s Stay True by Ari Snyder
The translation of grief into language has been a site of frustration for generations of writers. As British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote in his poem In Memoriam, “I sometimes hold it half a sin / To put in words the grief I feel; / For words, like Nature half reveal / And half conceal the Soul within.”
Little Women (2019): A Bride’s Burden by Asea Vance
Why is a woman no longer allowed to be seen as ambitious once she’s fallen in love? Must she be forced to decide between a career and marriage in order to find security? More often than not, modern-day feminism seems to suggest that women who choose romance over work are contributing to patriarchal ideals—but can one not exist alongside the other?