22 West Magazine - October 2019

Issue 85.02

October 7, 2019

www.22WestMedia.com

Featuring: The Cauldron Spirits and brews for the spooky season!

Long Beach

Opening October 23!

Your New Whole Foods Market

At the new 2nd & PCH shopping center 6400 E. Pacific Coast Hwy Long Beach, CA 90803

Open daily 7 AM – 10 PM wfm.com

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Issue 85.02 October 7, 2019 www.22westmedia.com

Letter from an Editor Hey CSULB, it’s me, Managing Editor Joel Vaughn. In a desperate bid to have my name on more written bits, I managed to convince our fearless leader, the captain at the helm and editorin-chief, Tara Thomas, to let me pen this letter. It’s not too presumptive to say that we’re midway through the semester, right? Time has an odd way of flattening under the heat of classes, writing a novel and cranking out content for the magazine. The amount of temporal space between crashing on our marketing director’s couch and paying my landlord my second month’s rent seems so small. Maybe my eyes are just glazing over to the passage of time so I can become one with the Eldritch horror of work, college, work, college as we collectively march closer to uncertain careers in the meat grinder of late stage cap-Wait, jesus, I was supposed to write about what’s in the issue. Uhh. It’s Halloween so this is a particularly Halloween-ie issue, well, in spots it is. We have a review of a pretty witchy bar, the deets on Godzilla and his buds and --uhhhhh-- the cover! That’s pretty Halloween-esque. As far as those articles not observing the reason for the spooky season: we’ve got another Live Sessions, a few reviews, some short fiction thing I wrote and, like, a feature or something from the Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum.

I’m sure it’s all great, and you’ve already opened our mag if you’re reading this, so like, I don’t know, maybe keep reading or something.

Alright. Thanks. Bye.

Contributor Meetings: Thursdays @ 1pm USU 112 Questions: editorinchief@22westmedia.com Article Pitches: pitches@22westmedia.com

Disclaimer and Publication Information: 22 West Magazine is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the magazine, ASI nor LBSU. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the staff. All letters to the editor will be considered for publication. However, LBSU students will have precedence. Please include name and major for all submissions. They are subject to editing and will not be returned. Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. 22 West Magazine will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustration, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. 22 West Magazine assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the Associated Students business office.

Magazine Staff Tara Thomas, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@22westmedia.com Joel Vaughn, Managing Editor managingeditor@22westmedia.com Marissa Espiritu, Art Director artdirector@22westmedia.com Bria Manning, Lead Copy Editor Enacio Diaz, Distribution Manager Isabelle Cruz, Culture Editor Sudabeh Sarker, Grunion Editor

Contributors Eric Cota, Contributing Writer Janet Doan, Contributing Artist Erin Haworth, Contributing Writer Eraj Hussain, Contributing Artist Brandon Kheang, Contributing Photographer Sophie Schröter, Contributing Photographer Erin Thompson, Contributing Artist Janna Wolf, Contributing Writer

Cover Illustration by Marissa Espiritu, Art Director

Contact Us Phone: (562) 985-4867 Mail: 1212 Bellflower Blvd. Suite 112 Long Beach, CA 90815

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Contents Culture

Photo by Brandon Kheang Illustration by Eraj Hussain

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Small Courses and Big Campuses Beers, bratwursts and Biology.

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The Cauldron Spirits and Brews for Bitchin’ Witches.

Music 12

Dream Pop State of Mind Uke’ pickin’ vibes with Maggery.

Entertainment 15

Ad Astra Doesn’t Add Up Imagine fighting with your parents. Now imagine that, but in space, with baboons chasing you.

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Borderlands 3 Review Read about all the pros, cons, ins-and-outs of 2K Games’ hottest new release.

Arts 18

Simone’s and Lily’s Donuts Thought a short story about a donut shop would be sweet and wholesome? Think again.

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No Escape A comic about enemies from the afterlife.

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Let’s Talk Art: Women in Printmaking Artists connecting to SoCal’s Latinx roots.

Grunion 22

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Gay Monsters We’re here, we’re queer and we happen to be monsters.

5% Community Giving Day

Shop and dine with us Wednesday, November 6 Shop and dine at the new Whole Foods Market Long Beach store on Wednesday, November 6, where 5% of the store's net sales will be donated to CSULB's Basic Needs Program, an innovative campus wide program that provides targeted services to address housing and food insecurity on the CSULB campus.

Whole Foods Market Long Beach Opening October 23 at the new 2nd & PCH shopping center 6400 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90803 Open daily 7 AM – 10 PM wfm.com

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Culture German lecture hall. Photo by Sophie SchrĂśter.

Small Courses and Big Campuses A comparison of American and German student life

By Janna Wolf Imagine you are sitting in a lecture hall, bigger than any you have ever seen before. Around you are no less than 800 other students. The professor is standing in front, talking into his microphone, indicating at some points on the big screen in the middle of the lecture hall.

Nobody seems to be listening. Imagine three girls in front of you eating salads while they plan their next weekend trips on their laptops. Some guys have beers they brought from the cafeteria sitting in front of them. They do not even try to be discreet when opening the bottles and toasting to the beginning of the semester. A group of 10 people arrive 20 minutes late. Another group leaves after an hour. All the while, the professor does not pay any attention and just goes on with his lecture.

If you can visualize all this, you’ll have a pretty good picture of what a regular course at a German university looks like, so you can probably imagine how astonished I was when I first entered an American lecture hall. I am an exchange student from Germany staying in Long Beach for two semesters. Originally I studied in Stuttgart, in the south of Germany. In the first weeks of the semester I not only recognized many differences between studying in Germany and the United States, but got to know a whole new study experience.

First of all, there is the university itself. Most of you probably do not notice, but the Long Beach campus is huge and beautiful–especially compared to most of the campuses in Germany. You will not find any rolled turfs and fountains there. To be Here is some hard news for the honest, a thing like a campus does not really exist either. Usually the sports fans among you: There university buildings are more or less are no competitive university spread over the city. Sometimes you sports in Germany. have to drive through the whole town to get to your next class and there

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Small classroom of CSULB. is no such thing as a shuttle or a campus police to call for an Photo by Janna Wolf. escort.

Here is some hard news for the sports fans among you: There are no competitive university sports in Germany.

Usually the university offers a sports program, but it is only recreational and is held in a small sports arena. Some universities organize sports events like team races, but most of the time it is more about drinking than it is about the sports. It is actually kind of funny to see all the parties on the campus without anyone getting drunk. At my home university, we have an event that is comparable to the Week of Welcome, except that almost every group dispenses beer, wine or even cocktails. You can probably imagine what that leads to in the end.

At German universities, there is just one important rule: at the end of the semester you have to get through your exam. Nobody really cares how you manage that. At this point I have to admit that it is simply amazing how much extra service the universities in the United States offer: a fitness center, bowling alley and several swimming pools, including a jacuzzi? We can only dream about that in Germany.

But in the end, American students do pay for all the extra service with their student fee. Studying here is expensive–I had to learn that the hard way in my first few weeks. It is not only the student fee, but all the small things that sum up over the semester: all the textbooks, the parking permit, the TAP card for the bus.

When you study in the United States as a German student, everything seems more German students drinking alcohol during intense. In some instances this is positive, lecture hall. Photo by Sophie SchrĂśter. like when it comes to the fitness center, the countless clubs and the competitive sport teams with their own arena. I have not yet decided if I like the small classes; they definitely have their drawbacks, such as when every professor knows your first name.

Professors in Germany are not even allowed to talk to me like that.

American students do pay for all the extra service with their student fee.

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Culture

The Cauldron Spirits and brews for the spooky season!

Story by Erin Haworth Tucked across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm sits a quiet, unassuming building. Skeletal guards greet you as you approach the front doors, the first hint that The Cauldron: Spirits and Brews is unlike any other bar and restaurant around here. Inside, the dim interior is lit by soft lights sparkling throughout the room. A cauldron bubbles away at the fireplace as you are seated at your table. Spooky knickknacks and beautiful dark artwork cover the walls surrounding you. Lights twinkle above the bar as they illuminate the stained glass bats and crow skeletons that loom above the bartender as they prepare drinks. The grand bookcase beside the bar opens and you can catch a glimpse of a hidden room before it closes.

The Cauldron: Spirits and Brews was opened by Lara Hanneman after a successful 23-year-

With little more than a dream and extensive entertainment experience, Hanneman made the leap and opened The Cauldron.

Photos by Brandon Kheang Illustrations by Eraj Hussain

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long career as the Director of Entertainment for Knott’s Scary Farm. With little more than a dream and extensive entertainment experience, Hanneman made the leap and opened The Cauldron. While initially having a bit of a rough start, The Cauldron has since become a popular place for those looking to decompress with friends, network or have a nice date in a comfortable yet The sense of family shared spooky atmosphere.

This witch between the employees themed bar and was evident through our restaurant boasts time there. a menu of French bistro inspired bites with spine tingling drinks. Everything from prosciutto wrapped shrimp to Croque Monsieur sliders and creme brulee is house made and based on recipes Hanneman had collected over her years of throwing parties.

We started with their steak fries appetizer topped with garlic Parmesan and bacon jam along with their prosciutto wrapped shrimp.

The drink we chose to accompany our food was the Knotty Kid, a swirl of boysenberry cotton candy topped with vodka and lemon. Our main course consisted of the French dip sliders and French onion soup and we finished our meal with the espresso creme brulee. All of the food we sampled was delicious.

A group of regular patrons--Zara, Jacques, Terrie, Perri and Bobby--have made The Cauldron a regular part of their weekly routine.

They have been coming every Wednesday for the past one and a half years so religiously that they became friends with the whole staff and can practically recite the menu. They couldn’t emphasize enough how much they loved The Cauldron. The decor had been what originally drew them in but they kept coming back because they had become part of The Cauldron family.

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Culture Photos by Brandon Kheang Illustrations by Eraj Hussain

Along with the customers, employees Nadine Sawalha, Chris Winsor and Staci echoed the same sentiments.

“Everybody’s family here. You don’t feel like you’re fake when you come in [to work]. You can be yourself,” Staci, a server, said.

“It’s like a mom and pop shop atmosphere, you know, so it’s not corporate. I’m free to speak my own and dress as my own,” said Sawalha, another server at The Cauldron.

Sawalha went on to say how last year’s Christmas party had emphasized how close her and her coworkers had become, saying “it was just such a union between all my coworkers, like we were just so united that night.”

The sense of family shared between the employees was evident through our time there.

Even with the normal downsides of rude customers and long shifts (especially during Knott’s Scary Farm) they all expressed their love for The Cauldron.

“Honestly, I can say this is one of the few jobs I’ve ever had that I actually enjoy coming to work every day. So it’s not a job to me. It’s fun,” said Winsor, a server and bartender.

Moving forward, Hanneman hopes to expand The Cauldron into the basement of the building as extra space for parties and the Halloween season crowds.

“Eventually I’d like to open more themed bars in different areas. Maybe not all The Cauldron but maybe jazz clubs, things like that have a little twist and an immersive environment,” said Hanneman.

If you’re looking for a fun night out or just find yourself in the area, go and check out The Cauldron: Spirits and Brews. Whether it’s Halloween season or not, you’ll find friendly people, delicious food and a spooky vibe all year round.

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What does

22 mean to you?

22 West Media is holding a T-shirt design contest!

Send submissions or questions to nathan.cunningham@student.csulb.edu.

Scan QR code for contest rules!

Your Design Here

Submissions Due: Thursday, November 7th 11

Music

Dream Pop 22 West gets softly serenaded by Maggery and her ethereal ukulele for our second Live Sessions event.

Interview by Bria Manning

Photos by Brandon Kheang

Maggery is a twenty-year-old bedroom pop artist from Rosemead, CA who sings as well as plays the ukulele. She began playing around with producing her own music at fifteen-yearsold and started posting her music online at eighteen.

Q. So you are a bedroom pop artist. How would you describe the genre to somebody who is unfamiliar with it?

A. I would say it’s a very homey kind of music, just something you’d hear from your neighbor. You know, typical movies when they play songs in garages or something. That’s kind of how I see it.

Q. How did that all begin?

A. I used to just write really dumb songs and then post seven, six second videos on Vine.

And then one of my friends I made on Vine got really popular and she actually inspired me to start posting.

I think sometimes songs are better when I do them in the moment.

Screenshot from Maggery’s newly released music video for the song “Orange Peel.”

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State of Mind Q. Can you describe what your creative process is like?

A. I usually just write from how I feel at the moment. I think sometimes songs are better when I do them in the moment, even if it’s just thirty minutes, instead of having it planned because it’s more real that way. So usually I just vent basically, then I make a rhyme.

Q. Did it take you long to learn to play the ukulele?

A. I still don’t think I’m that great at it [laughs] I just know the cords and some really basic stuff and there are some things I really don’t know how to play. But I just learned it because I wanted to sing with it.

Q. Were you ever shy about singing?

A. Yeah! I think I still am. I still get nervous singing in front of people, even if it’s just a friend. I just feel like it’s a whole performance. But when I was younger I was even nervous to record my own voice but I just told myself, “I need to know how I sound so I can be better.”

Q. Would you say that there is anything or anyone that inspires you through the process of writing and making music?

A. I made a lot of friends through Soundcloud and I feel they really inspire me because they are all really great writers and singers. They always message me saying, “Oh if you do this and if you do that, I think it would be really cool,” and it makes me feel like I can really progress. It’s a really nice community.

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Music Q. So do you listen to bedroom pop too or more of a variety?

A. I think I listen to a lot of things. I never really know what genre everything is […] Clairo, I listen to her and Beabadoobee, all those. I’m going to her show.

I’m pretty excited.

Q. Do you think they inspire your music as well?

A. When I first found out about Clairo I was like, “Oh my gosh, she produces her own things? I want to do that!” So I’ve been trying to do that. I’m not that great at it yet but hopefully I can get there. But yeah, they inspire me a lot.

Q. Did you listen to bedroom pop before you began making your own music and think, “maybe I can do this too,” or did you discover it after?

A. I guess a little bit of both […] I listened to some people then did my own thing and learn from other people I find out about.

Q. What’s next for you in terms of music or goals?

A. I just hope to have an E.P. or album that I’m completely happy with because right now I’m like, “eh.” But yeah, I just hope I can do that someday. I really like illustration so I hope I can do something cool with that.

Q. Is there anything you’d tell your 15-year-old self when she first started making music?

A. I think I would tell her to start then because I feel like I’m old now. [laughs] I think so many artists now are fifteen, eighteen max and I’m like, “oh, I’m almost 21.” [laughs] But I feel like it would be so much greater to [have] start[ed] younger and probably be where I want to be by now.

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When I was younger I was even nervous to record my own voice but I just told myself, “I need to know how I sound so I can be better.”

Entertainment

Photo by Francois Duhamel - © Twentieth Century Fox

Ad Astra Doesn’t Add Up Brad Pitt and the space baboons

By Janna Wolf An Applebee’s restaurant on the moon and a human base on Mars: the new movie from James Grey pictures the future of space travel, as one expects from a science fiction film.

Optically, “Ad Astra” is fun to watch and not just because of Brad Pitt. There are spectacular scenes in space, such as when the main character, astronaut Roy McBride, drops off a space antenna and falls towards Earth, wildly rotating on its own axis.

Even with these scenes, it is the plot and the storytelling that make this movie so It is a well-known conflict controversial. and one cannot help but McBride is on a mission to contact his father, Clifford McBride, who went on a wonder why it has to take mission to find intelligent life in the orbit place in space. around Neptune. When it comes to the big showdown between father and son, all that matters is their relationship: the worship of a son and the betrayal of a father. It is a well-known conflict and one cannot help but wonder why it has to take place in space. If those two had met at a lonely place on earth, the outcome would probably have been the same.

On the other hand, there wouldn’t be dramatic scenes like the moon rover chase or the attack of space baboons if the story was set on Earth. In those scenes, McBride stays calm, no matter how spectacular it gets. The contrast between action and stillness is the base of the storytelling. All is kept minimalistic–with less camera settings, less music and less talking. At the same time it varies greatly in the narrative speed. Some moments you want to press stop, because you don’t realize what’s happened. For example: Was he just really attacked by gigantic space baboons?! The next moment you would like to fast-forward. So his father cheated him, can it keep going now?

At this point it is worth mentioning that Brad Pitt’s acting is great, subtle, emotional and still very personal, but in the end it runs out on that.

Some people will hate the movie, some people will love it, but before you consider watching it you should ask yourself: Does it have to be action all the time? Should there be no open questions at the end of a story? Is straight storytelling and constant narrative speed important for me? If you just answered yes three times, you should Was he just really attacked stay away from the movie. Even if there is by gigantic space baboons?! still the question of what happened to those malignant, mesh-eating space baboons.

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Entertainment

Lootin’ n’ Shootin’ Part Three Borderlands 3 is overall impressive, but multiplayer mode disappoints.

By Tara Thomas Borderlands 3 feels like a rampant gun-toting romp through the galaxy with a bonus of well thought out storylines and interesting characters. On Sept.

13, 2K Games released the newest addition to the Borderlands franchise. Borderlands 3 is a quirky role-playing shooter that is known for its cartoon-like art style, two player mode and abundance of unique guns. With a five-year break between now and the release of the previous game, this new chapter has been highly anticipated by fans of the Borderlands franchise.

For those who haven’t played Gearbox Software/2K Games before, the premise is that your character is a gun-wielding “Vault Hunter,” essentially a mercenary, who searches for alien treasure across the galaxy. Your main goals are to collect loot, level up and occasionally save the planet. In Borderlands 3, Lilith, a main character from previous games, sends a siren call for new members to join her vault-hunting team, the Crimson Raiders. The main storyline involves fighting a powerful cult of bandits that has formed across planets. To help guide you through the game, you also see the return of the iconically aggravating robot companion, Claptrap.

To begin your journey, you get to pick one of four characters, each with special abilities.

Amara is a siren with dynamic magical abilities, Fl4k is a cyborg who trains pets to fight for him, Zane Flynt is able to send out turrets and drones, and Moze is a heavy shooter who can fight from within a large mech suit. While these characters are all new to Borderlands 3, many playable characters from previous games also make appearances throughout the story.

Along with a history of recurring characters, Borderlands is also one of the few mainstream shooters to offer local multiplayer. In fact, being able to play with friends was the biggest feature I looked forward to. It was a bitter discovery to find out the local co“Lilith” Gearbox Software/2K Games

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op mode was virtually unplayable. Horizontal splitscreen caused each players view to be stretched ridiculously wide, subtitles and menu boxes became illegible and after 15 minutes both of us were too dizzy to continue. It was a very disappointing revelation, with the only remaining options being single-player mode with friends watching over your shoulder, or having two people buy the game and play online from the comfort of their own homes.

Beyond the unplayable split-screen, the overall gameplay and design of Borderlands 3 did not disappoint. Borderlands has a unique visual style on the cusp of realism and cartoon, making it easy not to take yourself too seriously during playthroughs.

Compared to the previous game, I also noted an increase of environmental details and finer textures, especially when the game expands to new planets. These environments range greatly from dusty deserts, to swamp land, to mountain top temples and the variation made the game fun to play for long periods of time.

Another huge highlight of this game would be the refined gameplay. Shooting is more satisfying; it is clear that 2K spent a lot more time on fire rates, kickback and corresponding controller vibrations to improve immersion.

Even reloading has been revamped; now revolvers have to be reloaded by the individual

It was a bitter discovery to find out the local co-op mode was virtually unplayable bullet. The gore is also more prevalent, albeit more comical than realistic; I did notice an option in the settings to censor gore if that’s the kind of thing that gets to you.

Overall I’m excited to continue playing and can definitively call it an upgrade from any previous games. The only real downside for me was the lack of vertical splitscreen. When so many franchises have been pushing online multiplayer (Call of Duty, Overwatch and Destiny, for example) it keeps players distant from their friends. Shared experience allows players to focus on the fun they’re having rather than focusing too much on the game itself. As a brand-new release, these issues have the potential to be resolved in upcoming patches, but until then I won’t be able to give this game ten stars, no matter how badly I want to.

“Claptrap” Illustration by Tara Thomas

“Zane” Gearbox Software/2K Games

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Arts

Simone’s and Lily’s Donuts Story by Joel Vaughn

Illustration by Janet Doan

2019 Thom woke to the sound of a car alarm. He laid staring at the ceiling for a good while. He stood staring into the bathroom mirror for a good while. He sat staring out the car windshield for a good while.

Thom didn’t see anything.

The sun sat hugging the dewy morning horizon. Half of the world was a blinding white light obscuring the cracking highway as it disappeared beneath Thom’s cruising car. Commuters had congested on the roundabout. The radio said a renegade cruiser had made donuts on the roundabout before meeting Jesus.

Donuts.

Lily’s old Jeep sputtered. Thom decelerated into the parking lot and the nail bitten steering wheel shook. The burden of Simone’s OPEN 24 HRS sign flickered in neon.

A gang of men in their Sunday best circulated their pamphlets amongst the early morning patrons of Poor Richard’s Cocktails. Thom watched from behind Grandma Lily’s steering wheel.

2004 Dad parked Lily’s Jeep. Dad parked in the usher’s spot. Dad parked all their cars behind the church steeple.

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Thom stood at the end of the pews. They stood in line. Thom said good morning.

They said “god bless.” Thom handed out pamphlets. They handed him tithes.

Dad brewed the coffee, the pastor left out the donuts.

Thom sat down. They sang and prayed.

Jesus says the bread is my body, the drink, my blood.

Pastor said eat and take drink.

Thom runs away.

Pastor said you have to serve.

Father said you don’t get to play.

2019 Thom stepped out of the car. The gang of Sunday best cyclist’s greased and parted hair shone in the morning sun.

Do you have a moment for the good news,

A Short Fiction Story

No Escape

By Erin Thompson

they ask. Thom just kept walking past.

Simone’s shines blinding white, Thom stood with them in the bright early morning light. I’ll have a coffee and a donut, we all said one by one.

Traffic hummed on through the side door, more customers filter in, the woman behind the counter picks up her pace.

Thom sat facing the wall, the open sun at his back and a wall-sized collage of Polaroid photos fading in the light.

Thom pulled the glazed donut, sending shards of donut glazing scattering across the table’s ocean blue.

2004 The blue TV light reflected off Lily’s oxygen tank. A tape went bad in the VHS slot. Scanlines crashed like waves over the blue screen. Thom cracked the door and stepped into the dark room.

The blue projected itself onto his Sunday best.

An open box of donuts sat on her night stand.

Shhhh, went the oxygen machine as if to hush Thom’s voice.

Thom, Lily called, Thom. She held out her hand limply, flakes of donut glaze clung to the ends of fingers. Put on another tape, was her request.

Thom worked the VHS out of the TV and the tangled memories on its cellophane tape. Thom dug through a stack of Focus on the Family tapes.

Dad bought the tapes after cutting the cable. Dad cut off the cable after pastor told him to. Dad cut Lily’s cable after god told him to.

20– Thom stared at the flakes of donut glaze clung to his hand.

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Arts

Let’s Talk Art: Women in Printmaking A cultural conversation about our border Story and Photos by Bria Manning One day, I was an ordinary International Studies student with a regular copy editing job and the next day I find myself assigned to cover something completely outside of my area of expertise—the B.A.T. State III exhibition at the Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum.

On Sept. 9, our university’s art museum From left to right: “Untitled (Drug Lord and Patron),” 2010; “Untitled (of Nation opened its doors to the and Fútbol),” 2011; “Untitled (Drug Lord and Patron),” 2010; “Untitled (of Nation and Fútbol),” 2011; Carolyn Castaño. public and revealed the art of Women in Conversation with El Nopal Press to the public. Co-curators Anita Bunn and Francesco X. Siqueiros had collaborated to bring together a collection of lithographs, prints, photographs, paintings and more from 37 women artists that breath life into the cultural conversation over the California-Mexico border. The political activism of the artists are represented through the printmaking of Siqueiros’ El Nopal Press and brings to light the Latin American struggles, experiences and cultures brewing here on the Southern Californian border.

Let me preface my experience with a disclaimer: I don’t know shit about art. But Their voices of political having a geographic concentration in Latin activism shone through America and the Caribbean, I felt that widening my horizons a bit and delving into the realm of to the surfaces of Latin American art might be beneficial to my printmaking to make studies, work and overall perception of art. This is how I found myself at the exhibition on an a democraticallyearly Friday afternoon for a press preview.

I arrived a few minutes early and was greeted empowered statement.

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by Amanda Fruta, the Public Affairs and Communications Specialist at the Kleefeld Contemporary. She encouraged me to feel free to walk around before Bunn and Siqueiros arrived, so I attempted to blend in with a group of French women being led on a tour with little success; I eventually veered off and ventured on my own.

If you’ve lived in Los Angeles your whole life then you might take for granted the very blurred lines between Latin American and traditional American life. Even if you aren’t from Latin American heritage, the chances of you still being somewhat incorporated into the culture are highly likely. As a result, it’s easy for some Americans to become benighted to the plights Latin Americans face to this day.

I kept this thought in mind as I walked through the gallery and a couple pieces of art in particular jumped out at me. The first was a collection of monoprints of drug lord Pablo Escobar, who we are all familiar with, and Colombian footballer Andrés Escobar. The connection between the two may be faint to those who don’t follow soccer, but the Colombian footballer scored an accidental goal against his own team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, thus allowing the United States to secure a win, jeopardizing bets placed by drug lords who also funded the team, and ultimately resulting in Escobar’s assassination. The other piece that caught my attention was a mural depicting the story of Chavez Ravine and relocation of Latinos in the community that Dodger Stadium now sits upon. Being a huge Dodgers fan who is also Latina, I was happy to see a piece of art that represented this history of the stadium that I feel most people are unfamiliar with.

Once Bunn, Siqueiros and Marion Wesson, one of the featured artists in the exhibition, arrived, Fruta and I accompanied them

“Lily,” 2018, Judie Bamber.

on a tour throughout the gallery to enlighten my artistically-hindered mind and I drew a connection between all the works of art: they were, in some form or another, celebrating or bringing to light aspects of Latin American culture.

Some were highlighting the effects of white nationalism and its impact on Latin American culture, others commemorating the bridge between myth and culture that is so prevalent throughout Latin America. Not only this, but through the collaboration between El Nopal Press and the women artists, their voices of political activism shone through to the surfaces of printmaking to make a democratically-empowered statement.

The free exhibition will run from Sept. 9 until Nov. 14 but there will also be various panels featuring the artists and printmaking workshops to get involved in throughout the run of the exhibition. For more information regarding dates, panelists and locations, contact the Kleefeld Contemporary and get an exact schedule of events.

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Gay Monsters There are literally queer and Latinx monsters and no one is talking about it.

Story by Staff Contributor Homo

I

n a society trying to push the limits of conventional norms and gender identity, the

prevalence and representation of queer figures is extremely relevant.

An example of representation comes from the iconic Godzilla universe, with various queer and minority monsters inhabiting the dangerous and adventurous landscape of Monster Island. Perhaps the most prolific and stark example of a LGBTQ+ monster is Destroyah.

Standing at an impressive 120 meters, the purple, gigantuous beast boasts abilities that extend beyond his sheer body strength. DNA absorption, a chest beam and body duplication are just a few of the dangerous tools in Destroyah’s arsenal.

What isn’t commonly known, however, is Destroyah’s identity. As a male-identifying gay monster, Destroyah is notorious on Monster Island for his quick wit, tasteful purple color palette and brutal lack of empathy. This lack of empathy is evident in his trademark “callous disregard for human casualties,” which differs from many of his counterparts who genuinely don’t understand the importance and fragility of sentience.

Destroyah’s distinction as a calculated and sociopathic being has boosted his prowess over other monsters, both in areas of combat and social hierarchy.

In fact, his powerful nature has caught the affection of Courtesy of IDW Publishing other monsters, including well-known bisexual, Mexican monster. Rodan.

Rodan, who self-identifies as mostly bisexual, has had an on-and-off, fickle relationship with Destroyah. Despite Rodan’s Catholic affiliation, he is very proud of his sexuality, often times mentioning in passing conversations that he is “a total bisexual.” According to recent

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statistics present in the Monster Island Times, 30% of the population are convinced that Rodan is totally doing this for attention, with the remaining numbers concluding that Destroyah needs to “tone it down,” with comments online claiming “he wasn’t nearly this flamboyant before the spotlight was on him.”

With Monster Island being a notably conservative constituency, the LGBTQ+ conversation is not always met with warm, accepting and open mantis-like claws. Notorious for her traditional views, Mothra has made her opinions on samesex relationships well known.

Courtesy of Shogakukan Inc. “It’s just not natural,” Mothra said. “I get the whole monster immigration argument but--son of a bitch, how many times do I have to zap these assholes--I’m skeptical about the whole island supporting it.”

This controversy is just one example of LGBTQ+ issues arising in various monster kingdoms across planets and universes alike.

Just last month the petite poisonous dinosaur from the “Jurassic Park” universe made headlines after coming out as a lesbian. While she was met with mostly positive reception, a few of her codinosaurs from the first movie weren’t as warm, with the Brontosaurus monarch claiming her coming out was a “PR stunt to appeal to the left.” What’s more concerning is a recent attack from the Jurassic Park Incel Society that was released as an Op-Ed in the Jurassic Daily, titled “You can’t eat a human with a rainbow scarf on.”

With more visibility and acceptance becoming the norm, the monster kingdom might just go from “ROAR” to “YAS.”

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