Between the Stacks
Issue 7: Open Theme
What's a Zine?
A zine is a small-scale, self-published publication, similar to a magazine, which can focus on a wide variety of topics. Zines are often used to share artwork and creative writing.
Between the Stacks is DeKalb County Public Library's Teen Zine. Each quarter, we open submissions for young artists and writers in our community to share their work.
There was no theme for this issue.
Eyes Are the Window to the Soul
Lindsey, 12
‘Midnight purple’ Nissan r34 GTR
Broward, 17
Stuck in Snow
Jaiden, 13
I laid down in the white slushy mound of snow. I watched more snow fall from the gray sky.
This is it. This is how I die. One tear fell out of my left eye. Then another one. Then a tear prickled down my right cheek. Soon I was crying my eyes out with no other sound than my shallow breathing. I didn’t want to think these were my last moments while in my last moments.
I turned my head to the right and looked down a bit to see the empty plastic bag peeking out of my pocket. Those grapes were delicious. At least my last meal was nutritious. Papa would like that.
When did I eat those grapes again? Maybe the first night out here. I’ve been here for a good while.
I used my right hand to take the glove off my left. I observed my hand for a few seconds.
I have never been this pale before. Probably because I work hard to keep my well-deserved tan. It was natural too. I can’t believe that only two days out in this forest completely destroyed my summer tan.
I sighed.
I hope my family is looking for me I doubt they’ll find me because I stupidly went deeper into forest even though Jace and Hailee only left me like to twenty feet away from the “Welcome to the Julien Zane Forest” sign. This is sort of my fault but it’s mostly Jace and Hailee’s fault! They’re the ones that covered my eyes and told me they had a surprise for me. But then again, those two have never been nice to me. So, I should have known something was up!
I felt that my tears had frozen on my face. I lifted my head a bit and shook it. I don’t want my last thoughts to be about those bullies, Jace and Hailee! I should think about my family or my achievements.
I placed my head back down and thought about my mom. I don’t think I have a favorite memory of my mom I do have plenty of strange ones though.
When my mom started reading to me, instead of pictures books, she read her favorites books. Every time I’d complain about Jace and Hailee bothering me, she would quote Patricia Cornwell-of all people!
Wait, what was the quote she used to say? Something about survival and revenge. Was it “Survival was my only hope, success my only revenge”? I think so! That kind of sounds like my situation. Well, I would have to survive this disaster to start my revenge.
My eyes bulged as big as I don’t know what! I started to smile even though I had nothing to smile about. A wave of motivation had taken over my body. As I gave this more thought I realized so many things: I’m only eleven, I haven’t even experienced real life yet. Not even middle school! My parents don’t deserve to see me die before them. They have been so good to me, and they didn’t raise me to be soft So, I can’t have “Cause of Death: Jace Freedman and Hailee Koy” on my gravestone! I especially can’t die before I get Jace and Hailee to apologize to me. Heck, I’ll even take humiliated in front everyone they respect and anyone with access to social media!
There is so much I must do before I die. I have to become rich, famous, find true happiness, make Hailee cry, beat up Jace, then have them both blacklisted from.... well everywhere!
My smile turned into more of a devious smirk as my will to live became more of a revenge daydream.
Oh, yes. I’m going to make those bullies regret the day they were born! When I’m done with them, just the word Luciana will be enough to make them tremble!
Six Secrets: Welcome to My World
Faith, 15
I woke up, with the sun shining clearly through the glass of my window, exposing my fair skin. I made my way to my dresser, went to my mirror, and looked at myself. I was about to scream. There were little pieces of my hair sticking out, some of my hair was tangled, and I in general, just looked like a hot mess. I reached to get my hairbrush, and firmly brushed out the tangles. I hummed as I brushed my hair.
It usually takes me about 30 minutes to brush out all of the tangles and dirt from my hair As I combed the tangles out of my hair and threw away the knots I looked at myself in the mirror again. Should I cut my hair or not? I thought to myself. My hair was very long. My long, wavy, blond hair went down to my knees. The only person in my family who doesn’t have blond hair is my mother. She has long black hair. My father and my brother have blonde hair like me.
“There,” I said, as I combed the last knot in my hair. Then, I quickly brushed through my hair again making sure that I got all the tangles out of my hair.
“Mae!” my mother called out from downstairs. It was loud enough for me to hear, but soft enough to not burst someone’s eardrum. “Yes, mother?”
“Are you completely dressed yet?”
“No, Why?” I asked, as I put my dress over my head.
“Because, we need to leave to go to church in 20 minutes and you need to eat your breakfast,” she explained. I froze, I went to my bed and looked at my calendar. It was Sunday. I had forgotten about that.
“I better hurry!” I said. And I got dressed. Then I went downstairs. “Good morning Mae,” my mother said.
“Good morning mother,” I said. I made my way to the table and sat down. My brother, who was sitting on the other side opposite from me, looked at me. “What is it?” I asked him, rolling my eyes.
“Nothing,” he said, and went back to eating his scrambled eggs. My brother was much older than I was and he loved to play games and spend time with me.
Then, my mother gave me a waffle that she put on a plate with scrambled eggs. I ate it. As I was eating, my father came into the room. He had blue eyes and short blond hair, and a beard( he reminds me of a superhero, just without the muscles). He walked over to the table where I was sitting along with my brother.
“Good morning, Mae,” he said, as he gave me what I guess was supposed to be a kiss on the forehead, and it was very scratchy. Then he went to my brother and gave him the same scratchy kiss on his forehead. “Good morning son,” he said.
“A kiss early in the morning, no thank you,” my brother said, as he wiped away the kiss from his forehead with his hand. I giggled. “Good morning Emily,” my father said, as he and my mother kissed. I looked at my brother, my eyes very big. My brother made a barfing sound and gestured to me with his pointer finger in his mouth. I giggled again.
My father was from England and my mother was Chinese-American. My father met my mother at school. They did a lot of things together. After they graduated from college my mother left to go take care of her grandmother, who became ill. After her grandmother passed away, she went to England and decided to live there. One Christmas Eve there was a fancy medieval ball and my mother went there and saw my father again. My father told me that he didn’t recognize it was her until she introduced herself to him. A week later, he proposed, and a month later, they got married.
“Five minutes left,” my mother told us. I quickly finished my eggs and waffles and brushed my teeth and flossed. Then we all made our way to the car.
We drove to the church and walked inside. We sat in the middle row area. After church was over both my parents had a meeting. So I had to stay after church along with my brother and six other kids.
I was in the middle of playing a game with myself when my brother stopped me. “Mae, come on. I want to do something with you,” he told me. I followed him outside
“We’re not supposed to be out here, you know that,” I told him in an annoyed tone of voice.
“I know that, Mae,” he said, not at all listening to my warning. “I think that it’s time that you finally start,” he said as we walked up a hill. He let go of my hand and then lifted it up in front of me, palm up. I balled my hand into a fist.
“Relax your fingers,” he told me. I looked at him, perplexed. “What?” I asked. I thought he had gone mad.
“Relax your fingers and open up your hand,” he told me. I did not know what he was doing but I trusted him. “Good,” he said with a look of satisfaction. “Now I am going to put some seeds in your hand,” he said as he dug in his pocket and pulled out some small yellow seeds and put them in my left hand. Then he bent down and moved his hands like they were circling around an imaginary globe. Then, out of nowhere, a hole started to form in the grass. I gasped. He was using magic.
“Why are you using magic?” I asked, shocked. “You know that you’re not allowed to use magic right now, especially at a church,” I told him. He looked up at me.
“Just trust me,” he said.
“Okay,”
“Now, I want you to take the seeds that are in your hand and drop them into the hole,” he instructed me, and I did what he asked me to do. It felt very odd breaking the rules even though you know you’re not supposed to My brother did a different spell, moving his hands like a shovel picking up dirt in a pile, but he wasn’t actually touching the dirt with his hands. The dirt was moving by itself and it covered up the seeds in the hole. I bent down on my knees and watched the hole close up. “Now I want you to think of a memory from your past and I want you to pour it all out on this hole that is now covered up, and see what happens,” my brother told me.
DAYLIGHT
I closed my eyes and thought hard. After I thought of the memory, the whole place seemed to change. I opened my eyes and the hole seemed to swirl I was so scared that I slowly walked backwards I tripped and fell Luckily my brother was behind me. He caught me before I hit the ground.
Then, a tree sprouted up out of the ground where the seeds were. The trunks were long and beautiful. The leaves were spread out with green, orange, and pink colors.
Then as if it were a time lapse, the tree quickly started to grow blossoms. Colors of pink, red, blue, and orange filled the air. The smell of spring filled my nose.
“You did it!” I heard my brother shout.
“Please, lower your voice,” I said.
“Sorry, sis.” He helped me get up. We just stood there holding hands, looking at the tree.
After four minutes of us standing there, we headed back to the church. And just in time too, because everyone was cleaning up. Then, after a minute, the parents came
It was very hard for me to act like I had been there the whole time and that I hadn’t left the church or broken the rules. But I managed to succeed. My parents came and I could see a big grin on my father’s face. After we checked out, we went to the car. Once we finally were buckled up and my father started driving us home, I decided to ask him. “Father? Why are you grinning?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you when we get home,” he told me.
It was a five minute drive to home. As we all sat in the car, I started to get sleepy. And the next thing I knew, I fell asleep, resting my head on my brother’s shoulder. He looked down at me. My eyes were shut. He gently moved a strand of my blond hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear
Once we were at home my brother unbuckled my seatbelt and carried me inside.
I woke up. And looked up. Then I sat up. My brother walked into the room. “Well look who’s finally awake,” he said in a teasing voice. “Ready to eat?” he asked. I nodded.
After we were done eating dinner, I went upstairs and got ready for bed. This time I took my mother’s advice and put my hair into two braids. Then after a goodnight kiss from both of my parents (I tried to dodge both of them but failed), I fell asleep, waiting for tomorrow to arrive.
“Mark my words carefully
And only then you’ll find the key
Where a treasure lies
Beyond the tides
Look inside
Is where you’ll find
Only what’s left of us”
The words were spoken in a voice that sounded like a snake. The place seemed like a dark cave, everything was pitch black, except for the huge, bright, blue glow far away in the distance. I looked around, but could see nothing. The whole place gave me the shivers. There wasn't even the sound of bats flapping their wings.
In the river of tears
Memories are made near
Dive down deep
But not too far
Because the moments and memories you’ve made Will fade like waves
Into the forgotten sea
It continued. Then, in the distance I saw a figure. It was my brother. I said his name under my breath. Then I saw another figure. It was my father. He looked very different from what he usually looked like. His long, straight blond hair reached to his shoulders.
“Father?” I said, confused. Then they started arguing. My jaw dropped.
DAYLIGHT
“How are we supposed to help you if you constantly ignore us?” my father said. His voice was stern and clear.
“Then don't!” my brother yelled My jaw dropped again
He has never yelled at father before. He has never yelled at any of us before, I thought.
“Watch it,” my father said, pointing a finger at him.
“Why should you even care about me?” my brother asked. Why is he doing this? I asked myself.
“Because you are my son and I want to keep you safe,” my father said.
“Just stop saying that,” my brother said, looking very frustrated. “No!” my father said very sharply. “I won’t stop saying it. I will continue to say it because it’s true,” he said.
“Just leave me alone,” my brother said as he sat on the edge of his bed.
“I will not leave you alone until you realize what you are doing right now,” my father said.
“What could be so important to me that you want me to change for?” my brother asked, looking up at my father’s beardless face. I froze, looking at my brother.
“You have a sister who is younger than you are-”
“So? Why should I care?” my brother interrupted him. He was now standing up.
“Do you not understand what is at risk for you right now?” my father asked, his voice rising.
“What are you talking about? What do you mean ‘at risk for me right now’?” my brother asked.
“Your sister is the last Gollery girl left in this world and if anything happens to her then we are all in danger,” my father said “What does that have to do with me? What does any of that have to do with me at all?” my brother asked. Then the whole place shifted to something else.
“Son, what are you doing?” came a cold, loud voice. I saw my father and my brother again.
“I’m leaving,” my brother said as he opened the door.
“Where will you go, son?” my father asked. My brother didn’t answer. Then my father tried again, but this time his voice was sharper and colder. “Son,” he said.
“Stop calling me ‘son’,” my brother yelled as he shut the door and turned around to face my father “I am not your son I am not your son anymore,” he said.
The father and son relationship crumbles
And fades double
As the boy does more trouble
Mistakes are made
And more risks will take
Which prove that family is fake
It was the same voice.
As the whole place started to fade, the words “family is fake” echoed in my mind And I fell through a void and hit something very soft Almost like a bed. But I was sleeping… Wasn’t I?
Pink Dinosaur
Anonymous Artist, 17
We Are Burning
Lindsey, 12
Jungle Planet
Anonymous Artist, 17
Prescription Alex, 16
“This piece represents the struggle that people with chronic illness go through to get the treatment they deserve. Often times, doctors won't try and find the root of the issue and will throw pills and prescriptions at the problem at hand. This often leads to the patient feeling dismissed and makes them feel like they have to deal with their demons all on their own.”
The 10 NPCs Ani, 16
Future?
Amelia, 16
Artist’s Note
“It’s a collage of news headlines and the background shows the world if it was on fire. This to me shows the overwhelming negative news I hear about the world on a daily basis. All of the news gives me anxiety about what our future will look like.”
Colosseum
Lindsey, 12
The Duality of Transport
Annie, 17
Chicago Chicago Brittan, 16
Limerance
Cynthia, 17
Stall Cynthia, 17
Baby in the Sky
Anonymous Artist, 16
DreamSpace Anonymous Artist, 18
Art Collage Esbeydi, 18
Emerging Alex, 16
“This piece represents how it feels to emerge after you have been swimming in an ocean of emotions. Your first gasp of air after struggling to push to the surface.”
Vibrant Innocence
Gretchen, 17
Rejoice Cynthia, 17
Art Comes From the Heart
Hannah, 16
50 Years of Hip Hop
Malia, 16
2023 may be over, but it’s impact still lingers on the world in every aspect. With Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour and Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour leaving shock waves in the music industry, Blockbuster Films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer, as well as new trends in social media and fashion, the previous year was a homage to pop culture. However, 2023 also marked the 50th anniversary of the introduction of Hip Hop Music- which would leave unprecedented marks in more ways than one.
From DMX, Tupac, TLC, Queen Latifah, Ludacris and Jay Z to Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion and more, Hip Hop has transformed and transcended African-American culture into a billion dollar industry. Not only has it given people of color a platform to express and inform, but it’s given marginalized communities a seat at the table when it comes to closing to socio-economic mobility gap. Starting in the early 1970’s, HipHop’s presence in the music industry remains strong and powerful. According to Women’s Wear Daily, “Fifty years later, hip-hop has become the most popular musical genre in the U.S., with R&B/hip-hop having the largest share of total album consumption in 2022, according to entertainment data and insights company Luminate ”
Hip Hop erupted in the city of Bronx, New York in 1973 where a man by the name of DJ Kool Herc hosted his younger sister’s back to school party and entertained by form of the turntable. His title, Disc Jockey or DJ set up a precedent of scratching instrumental beats and rapping along the extended cut. In a city degraded by slums, police violence, and high crime rates, here was now a safe space for anyone to let loose and dance freely within invigorating block parties. Soon after, a new style of dance formed; the b-boys and b-girls of break dancing to the melodic Jamaican tunes. Then, a wave of disco that was perfectly synced to funky, groovy jams of the 80’s in Bay Area, California Even further down the east coast, where the raunchy, addicting, thumping beats in cities of Texas, Louisiana and Atlanta would come to be known as the “Dirty South music”, the genre of Hip Hop became an influence in every major city of the U.S.
The inclusivity of Hip-Hop’s becoming mainstream popularized styles like oversized pants, stacks of blinged out jewelry, and bright colors that would add onto the definition of what we know Hip-Hop to be today. Not only men and young boys, but women such as Aaliyah Dana Haughton, better known as Aliyah accredited as the title “Princess of R&B” have challenged the social norms of what is deemed acceptable in clothing styles. Her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number showcases an incorporation of dark sunglasses that shield her eyes, beanie, and oversized hoodie and jacket. The normalization of baggy clothing for women became a way to empower and to aid as a defense against harassment and objectification of their bodies. Girl Groups like TLC, Salt-N-Peppa, Xscape, and others now had a platform where they could empower themselves and take control through an explicit, assertive rap style. This is but one of the ways women have taken back their power against the patriarchy.
The evolution of Hip Hop is an a testament to the philosophy of Booker T. Washington, activist, author, philanthropist, and founder of Tuskegee Institute. He argued that African Americans must concentrate on self help; educating themselves, learning useful trades, and investing in their own businesses. Because of Hip-Hop, artists like Lauryn Hill, Outkast, Nicki Minaj and others have pioneered their way up the charts through organizations such as Spotify, Apple Music and Billboard. Our contributions in music inspire movements in fashion, art, hair and even political movements for others facing marginalization. Since then, our creations have been recognized in several award shows, including the Grammy Awards, deemed as the the most prestigious and significant awards in the music industry worldwide. African-Americans continue to transcend and transform, and the best part is that we’ve mastered our own craft, creating a table for us- by us.
References:
https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/birthplace-of-hiphop/#:~:text=The%20story%20goes%20that%20on,ing%20(rapping)%20during%20the%20exte nded
https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/hip-hop-fashion-impact-anniversary1235608996/
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927349/bay-area-hip-hop-1980s
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/world/americas/mc-millaray-chile-mapuche-rapper.html
Transition
Jackie, 18
Kathy, 15
The Balloon Dog
The Wise Mind
Alex, 16
“This piece represents the version of yourself that you present to the world and the version of yourself that is more secluded. Neither is bad nor good, they are just parts of yourself that help make you complete.”
Chicago Snowfall
Lauren, 15
Snow in Chicago, a quiet delight, City streets cloaked in blankets of white. Skyscrapers shimmer with frosty sheen, A frozen world, tranquil and serene.
Footprints weave tales on the snow-laden ground. Each step whispers secrets as adventures abound. Through the Magnificent Mile, traveling up and down snow-covered streets, stark yet profound. As Michigan Avenue flaunts her snowy gown.
Alas, Lake Michigan rests, frozen and still.
Icy dreams drip across its surface and spill as the L-train hums through winter’s song, Passengers gaze, snowflakes dance along
Parks echo with laughter, kids at play, Snowmen rising in the cold, rolling our stresses away. In the heart of it all, a warmth we find, amidst the chilly, windy city, an icy sublime.
Waking Up to Winter
Lauren, 15
Thankyou!
To all of our wonderful artists for sharing their work and to the DeKalb Library Foundation for funding this project.
Featured Artists:
Cynthia
Kathy
Ani
Jaiden
Hannah
Malia
Lindsey
Esbeydi
Amelia
Brittan
Faith
Annie
Broward
Alex
Jackie
Gretchen
Lauren and all of our anonymous artists!
