The Rebirth | SPACES Magazine Issue No. 1

SPACES The Rebirth

Issue No. 1

The DNA of The Fashion World by

Gabriella Nieves

Thoughts on Black Nature

Writing with Erin

Sharkey by Asha

Criner

Pinche Rockera

By Jizelle Villegas

Macalester

Student Artwork and Poetry

SPACES

Issue No. 1

4-5 | Letter from the Editor and Creative Director

Gabriella Nieves and Asha Criner

PART 1

8-11 | The DNA of The Fashion World

Gabriella Nieves

12-13 | Thoughts on Black Nature Writing with Erin Sharkey

Asha Criner

14-23 | Pinche Rockera Jizelle Villegas

PART 2

26-33 | Reminents of Nature Writing

Writing by Nawal Chaudury and Jaylynn Rodriguez

Artwork by Kieu My Truong

34-45| Reflections of Love

Writing by Eliza King, Calla Lee, and Judith Hernandez

Artwork by Carmen Quintos and Nawal Maqbool

46-57 | Feelings of The Self

Writing by Calla Lee and Xavier Pittman

Artwork by Nawal Maqbool, Michelle Osiro, Xavier Pittman and Gabby Whitehurst

PART 3

60 | Final Words from SPACES Director

61 | Credits

PART

PART 1

THE DNA OF THE FASHION WORLD

Writing by Gabriella Nieves

Photography b

Black and brown people have been the pioneers of almost all American fashion movements and trends, but are rarely ever at the forefront of them. It is in the DNA of America to overlook black and brown people, and fashion is no exception to this American tradition. Being born and raised in Queens, New York, it was clear to me from an early age that an outfit can be more than just articles of clothing; It can be a reflection of you, a manifestation of who you hope to be, and the gasoline to the fire that is you. I grew up in a world where Black and Brown people were embraced and our accessories of choice were not merely accessories, but our culture. From Jordans, to big gold hoops, and long acrylic nails. We relished in these customs, even though we knew outsiders viewed us in poor taste. Fashion empires have stolen from our communities and placed our innovation on runways with no credit given. Nezerial Scott puts it perfectly in their 2017 article for Flare, “Ghetto is nothing but creativity that hasn’t been stolen yet, we see you stealing and regurgitating our struggle for profit.”

Innovation in fashion as a result of POC creatives can be found starting in the 1900’s. The cotton mill took American society by storm in the late 1800’s, with the number of textile mills in the South jumping from one-hundred and sixty one to four hundred between 1880 to 1900. This was when the first Black-owned and operated cotton mill was founded in North Carolina but this was not the norm. The norm was cotton mills being owned by white men but operated by black people and women, in efforts to make exploitation easier. Many of the first fashion designers were black woman and pieces like Jaqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown, and several of Mary Lincoln’s dresses were designed by black women. Elizabeth Keckley, a black woman, was Mary Lincoln’s personal designer and friend. It seems like these are facts that should be well known and common knowledge, but it was not until recently that these black designers were recognized and given credit. Despite Black women clearly setting the foundations of the fashion world in America, it was not until 1974 that Vogue had its first black woman on the cover, Donyale Luna. It has always been a default in America for white men and women to be the overseers of most media representation. This is especially true in the world of fashion, where eurocentric beauty standards thrive and uphold misconstrued perceptions of fashion. Most people today do not know how significant black women were to the start of fashion in America. Lack of representation in the media has conditioned the world to associate fashion with whiteness.

Black and brown people’s influence on American fashion can be traced all the way back to the `1900’s, but this influence has been consistent throughout all of American fashion. Chicanos are Americans of Mexican descent. The Chicano Movement, a civil rights movement for mexican-americans, took place between 1965 and 1975. In recent years, baggy clothing has become popularized with oversized shirts and pants being in. This baggy aesthetic originated from Mexican-Americans during the Chicano Movement, especially those that resided in LA. While the baggy aesthetic was dominated by Chicano men, Mexican American women, also called cholas, had a huge impact on makeup and fashion trends in America. Long acrylic nails, over the top eye looks and nude lips paired with dark Brown lip liner were all popularized by Mexi can-American women. All of these things culminate to something that signifies strength and femininity as a part of their frowned-upon Mexican identity. During the time these Brown men and women were creating innovative looks and staples, their aesthetic was not seen as innovative. It was during this time that Black women were also popularizing, now widely used trends such as: lettuce hems, nameplate

necklaces, and Jordans. What we call streetwear today is an aesthetic heavily influenced by the NY and LA Black communities in the 1990’s. All of the clothing, makeup, and accessories mentioned are stylistic choices that are praised today but only after white people appropriated them. This appropriation has even been as drastic as fast fashion sites like Shein and Forever 21 selling cultural clothing garments such as imitations of the Chinese cheongsam. When it comes to people of color, there seems to never be appreciation, only constant appropriation. For decades, Black and Brown communities were shamed for their fashion and given the titles of ghetto and unprofessional. Now, designer brands have taken heavy inspiration from the streetwear aesthetic, average sneaker prices have more than tripled, and hoop earrings have become what is part of “the clean girl aesthetic.”

Fashion is something that I have been drawn to and interested in from an early age, but it was in college that exploring individuality in my fashion choices became important to me. Moving from one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world, Jackson Heights, Queens, to a PWI in the midwest, I realized how tethered my identity is to fashion. I had the privilege of speaking to other POC students at Macalester about their experiences with fashion, and how Macalester has impacted their fashion journey. Marine Victoria Lobos ‘26 (featured on the cover of magazine), a queer international student from Chile told me, “(...) For me, fashion is inherently political. I love Punk fashion because of that sole reason, as it comes from a working class place AND philosophy of styling what you have. Fashion that is queer is political, as you could get harassed just on the note of what you’re wearing.” Fashion can be a form of protest, as it can be an embodiment of cultures, sexualities, and identities that are not accepted. For decades, Queer people of color have been pioneers for countless fashion trends. Jizelle Villegas ‘26, a Mexican-American queer woman expressed that for her fashion is, “a way to express [her] queerness.” Macalester has allowed queer people to explore their identities because many are not allowed to at home. Many students of color are away from home for the first time, and being in a new place like Macalester has shifted their personal relationships with style. I asked POC students at Mac: What impact has Mac had on your

your personal fashion? “The biggest [impact] for me was definitely the transition to second hand shopping becoming socially acceptable,” says Solomon Dawit ‘26, a Black queer man at Mac. “Honestly I’m somewhat grateful that it was popularized (...) but I think it’s very clear to me that once white people with the financial privilege to choose between retail and second hand indulged in the second hand market, it was acceptable and even cool.” At Macalester, it is widely accepted to thrift and even preferred as it is environmentally safer, but it’s important to acknowledge that thrifting is an activity primarily POC have participated in not because of stylistic preferences but because of necessity.

“I think Mac is quite open in regards to what you [choose] to wear. I have noticed a pattern in that people compliment feminine outfits over masculine ones; and most importantly, that outfits that are “getto”, “slutty” or “from the (actual) street fashion” cause mental disequilibrium to people who haven’t been exposed to creativity when money is scarce,” shares Marine ‘26. Being free from expectations and values held at home that can collide with our own, POC have found joy in our ability to express ourselves on campus. As a PWI, Macalester still has much room for improvement in regards to supporting and appreciating POC students on campus.

Fashion today would be nothing without the innovative minds Black and Brown people who came before us. Culture, whether it be Black culture, Hispanic and Asian culture, or queer culture, is built into the foundations of all modern-day fashion. All we ask now is for credit and acknowledgement of the discrimination our predecessors faced for things now viral on Tik Tok. With every outfit I curate or envision, I think of home. Geographically home for me is Queens, NY but home transcends a place on a map. Home is Black and Brown bodies living together, loving one another, and looking stylish while doing so.

Thoughts on Black Nature Writing with Erin Sharkey

Article by Asha Criner

Photography by Gabriella Nieves

Growing up, I was never a nature girl. Though I do have the occasional memories of sitting in my front yard playing with weeds and things, feeling the breeze against my skin as I rode my skin as I rode my bike up and down the same three blocks. Despite fond memories of the joys of being outdoors, I cannot say that I fostered the sort of bonds with nature that I was accustomed to hearing from many of my childhood friends, who had lake houses – up north – Michigan, or whose eyes swelled with excitement at the mention of camping, skiing, or boating. Perhaps this was because, for me, nature always felt like something that was hard to claim.

Though it was never explicitly told to me, there seemed to be an unspoken factor about access to nature which felt un-Black. This is not to say that I did not have access to experiences in nature growing up. If fact, my parents made explicit choices to provide me with the experiences I needed to do so; partly because they didn’t have experiences themselves. I have memories of summer beach trips, skiing, swimming, horse-back riding, fishing, and all the things that come to mind when considering what it means to appreciate the outdoors. Instead, maybe it was that those experiences were always accompanied with a unspoken assumption that these spaces felt as though they were not designed for me.

Because, when I swam (or when it rained), I worried about what the water might do to my hair.

Because, when I skied, each time I skied, the white people, though they often meant well, would assume that the other Black family on the hill was with us: I just helped your friend over there too, they’d say with a generous smile.

Because those neighborhoods – up north– with the lake houses, were in trump-towns, where the “don’t tread on me” flags flew high above anything else; and, where a walk down a public street reminded me of my suppressed fear that people would make me feel as different as I felt. Funny, the power of lingering eyes.

I was reminded of these emotions when I was introduced to Erin Sharkey and her book A Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars. At the time, I had yet to read the book myself, but I found the concept of Black Nature writing intriguing. What is Black nature writing when blackness and nature feel

so dislocated? In A Darker Wilderess, Sharkey brings together the voices of several authors who share their unique and varied relationships with nature: a young woman describing the freedom she felt by seeing a youn Black girl play in the rain, a narrative of memories from a Black family that owned a vacation mansion in rural America, a young man’s memory of his grandfather’s garden – situated deep in the urban geographical structure of Detroit, Michigan. What is most impactful about these stories is that they do not seek to define Black relationships to nature as one identifiable thing. Instead, they showcase that Black identity and nature is perhaps symbolic of the themes of freedom and dispossession that have worked to contextualize Black experiences in America to this day. “I hope there’s inspiration in the collection for folks to reflect on their own stories,” Sharkey said to me in a one-on-one conversation I was fortunate enough to arrange with her, “ I hope this inspires someone to get an archive or do some writing, to get out in nature and try to see it in a new way.” Below, you can find more excerpts from our conversation:

What do we stand to gain by understanding Black relationships to nature better?

One is to acknowledge that nature is political. We’re fed that nature is an opportunity for us to discover. I think that sometimes we must look at the sort of messages we get about the idea of nature. And then acknowledge the reality that nature is contested space. Especially in acknowledging the ways that people take it, the ways that we own it, how we share it, or don’t share it. I think that starting with nature as an idea that’s in your room, in your bedroom, something all around us that we don’t have to go to is a first step. As an adult, having the opportunity to redefine nature for myself, to think about the ways that I have access to it, and consider why I have access to it? Why are there barriers to access? How can I be experiencing celebratory practices in a way that doesn’t leave behind other Black folks? For our living, we need opportunities for retreat, for reflection, we need opportunities to plan.

What can people do to center Black and Indigenous folks in Earth Day conversations?

It’s valuable to know small-scale Black and brown farmers in Minnesota, indigenous farmers in Minnesota. Check out Midwest farmers of color coalition and the work that they’ve been doing to support farmers of color. Urban Farm and Garden alliance are very close to Macalester’s campus, doing work in the Rondo neighborhoods.

What does abolitionism look like in 2023?

I think it’s only been since the uprising, that I’ve really felt strongly that abolition is not about outsourcing our conflict resolution to the state; but rather, about strengthening the way we take care of each other, that we respond to conflict. It is about community building. It is about skill sharing. It’s about engaging in restorative and transformative justice processes to remember that the stronger one is about speaking to conflicts that one witnesses or is a part of, the less dependent they are on the state to do a poor job of dealing with conflict.

Pinche Rockera

By Jizelle Villegas

La Pinche Rockera That Isn’t Latina Enough is headlined by Jizelle Villegas, only in two cities this year: The Studio at the Factory in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas and Fine Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota! Get your tickets on AXS.com or in the app. You don’t want to miss this concert that chronicles the 19 years of experiences and ‘othering’ that Jizelle has had to deal with in her life. She’ll be performing their hit songs “White Passing,” “An ‘Other’ at a Predominantly White Institution,” “All Music’s Great Joys,” and last but certainly not least, “¡Soy Una Pinche Rockera También!”

“White Passing”

Verse 1:

Back in 7th grade y’all would tell me shit

Every comment would be like a hit

Once I was told “You’re white passing” and then y’all laughed too

Pero the person had the same pale skin as I do

I never understood that

Why was I the only one targeted like that?

Chorus:

No soy una morena

But do not say que yo era guera

Yo era Latina

That’s the worst thing you could say to me

Pero I don’t give a fuck if you think I’m white passing

Verse 2:

Just recently a friend here at Mac first thought that I was white

Because my complexion in my face in my profile picture was affected by the light

But when he met me in person, he realized that I wasn’t

Because I’m Latina, my facial features, the hair on my arms and legs show it

I can never escape the assumptions

wMy pale skin seems to always be the center of discussions

Chorus:

No soy una morena

But do not say que yo era guera

Yo era Latina

That’s the worst thing you could say to me

Pero I don’t give a fuck if you think I’m white passing

Verse 3:

Two years ago my friend told me “Hispanic isn’t a race, so you’re just white”

Now I still never understand why she told me that, maybe it was out of spite

I got an apology from another friend, she finally realized that the comments were fucked

But they never even thought to consider how bad it made me feel, how it sucked

To have my Latinidad belittled to sometimes not even being seen

It was just mean, it was so fucking mean

Outro:

I’ve gotten used to the comments

Even though they pick apart my identity

I don’t even know how I’ve been able to keep my sanity

Telling me that I’m white is the worst thing that could be said to me

Pero at this point I don’t give a fuck if anyone thinks I’m “white passing”

Because I know mi pinche identity

“An ‘Other’ at a Predominantly White Institution”

Verse 1:

In almost every classroom, I’m the only Latina alla

Then with my specific style, I’m most definitely the only rockera

And I feel like I have to say the smartest thing to prove myself to everyone there

The amount of pressure I feel everyday just isn’t fair

I don’t want to make Latinos look bad if I say something that isn’t up to some standards

But I don’t feel like the other Latinos here, so I’m truly just lost for words

Chorus:

I’m really an ‘other’ at this predominantly white institution

I thought there was going to be a bit more inclusion

I try to stick with mi gente because that’s what I’m used to

That’s hard to do being around nothing but white people and being somewhere new

I’ve made some good Latino friends here and I’m so fortunate for them

They make it easier to navigate this place and make me feel comfortable, I just love them

Verse 2:

I had white paint, black triangles and a mischievous black smile painted on my face

For The Garden concert I was going to, but then I started to feel out of place

In the dorm connector because white people just couldn’t stop staring at me

And I wonder when they look at me, what do they see?

Do they see a weird Latina? A fake Latina? A Latina that makes them uncomfortable? Because of my rockera identity clashing with my Latinindad, I just feel so vulnerable

Chorus:

I’m really an ‘other’ at this predominantly white institution

I thought there was going to be a bit more inclusion

I try to stick with mi gente because that’s what I’m used to

That’s hard to do being around nothing but white people and being somewhere new

I’ve made some good Latino friends here and I’m so fortunate for them

They make it easier to navigate this place and make me feel comfortable, I just love them

Verse 3:

There are many other alternative kids here but there’s one difference

They are all white and even if we might have the same interests

I can’t relate to them because of the fact that I’m a woman of color

And that just makes me feel so isolated, it truly makes me feel like an ‘other’

I can’t help but see my differences, I can’t help but see that I’m una rockera Latina

And they’re just white alternative kids while I have extra layers to mi identidad

Outro:

I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose Mac

And I’m not regretful of my choice because I’m on the right track

I’m so lucky to be at a good liberal arts school

And if any white people want to give me looks or smug at me, it’ll just be my fuel

Because even if I am an ‘other’

I know I belong here, my identity isn’t going to make me hover

“All Music’s Great Joys”

Verse 1:

I started going to concerts back in 5th grade

The alternative music I started to like was my aid

It helped ease the pain of growing up without a dad

Having stepparents, feeling alone and always feeling sad

Nobody else listened to this alternative and rock music

While everyone else thought it was awful, I thought it was sick

Chorus:

Nu-metal, riot grrrl, alternative and rock

It all held the power to allow me to unlock And free myself from the outside and inside world

I’m Mexican-American, una rockera and a grrrl

Even if my mom and friends judged me for liking this Music has brought me nothing but eternal bliss

Verse 2:

A POC band, Virginia’s Basement, was holding a tribute show for Dia de Los Muertos

They had a DIY guitar pedal and a phone as a microphone, they were all rockeros

People were pushing each other and moshing across the floor

Even though I was standing to the side, the music was what I was craving more and more Some people even had pintura on their faces as tribute to los muertos

This was mi gente, mi comunidad and the punk scene was what estamos representamos

Chorus:

Nu-metal, riot grrrl, alternative and rock

It all held the power to allow me to unlock And free myself from the outside and inside world

I’m Mexican-American, una rockera and a grrrl

Even if my mom and friends judged me for liking this Music has brought me nothing but eternal bliss

Verse 3:

My friend and I did our face paint for The Garden concert

In the mosh pit, it was like I became an extrovert

I was being pushed around, getting knocked in the face and almost falling into the crowd

But I was screaming to every lyric, pushing people back and I was proud

Because I’ve never been comfortable enough to do that at a concert yet Something about their bass and drums allowed me to let loose and not fret

Outro:

Alternative and punk music brings out power, confidence and happiness in me

Now I have another Latino friend that I can go to these shows with and see

I’m so glad I moved here since I’m really liking the Twin Cities’ music/punk scene

Music and concerts has kept me sane for so many years

But now for these punk shows, I now know that I share something similar to my peers

“¡Soy Una Pinche Rockera También!”

Verse 1:

Alice Bag, Michelle Cruz Gonzalez from Spitboy and Fea

They’re all Latinas making punk music, from the 70s to ahora

Alice and Michelle are both self proclaimed Chicanas

My mom doesn’t like the term but no me importa

She’s said “Don’t say that, I don’t like that” because my dad’s mom would call her one

She didn’t speak Spanish right and her Latinidad wasn’t done the ways theirs was done

Chorus:

¡Soy una pinche rockera también!

I’ve started to really look up to these badass women

Because of their influence, I’ve found Caifanes, Cuca, Soma Cake y Charly Garcia

I’m trying to find more punk, rock and goth Latino music to add to mi vida

¡Porque soy una pinche rockera Chicana que necesita su música alternativa!

Y finalmente I’m starting to feel more comfortable combining these parts of my identidad

Verse 2:

Alice and Michelle have taught me that being Chicana is a good thing

And I have their lyrics about their identity, sexism and racism to yell and sing

Their songs are a mix of English and Spanish and it really resonates with me

My whole life I’ve had to balance being Latina or being alternative, never could just be But these three bands and these women showed me that I don’t have to compromise Ellas son pinches rockeras and their self expression has helped my identity concretize

Chorus:

¡Soy una pinche rockera también!

I’ve started to really look up to these badass women

Because of their influence, I’ve found Caifanes, Cuca, Soma Cake y Charly Garcia

I’m trying to find more punk, rock and goth Latino music to add to mi vida

¡Porque soy una pinche rockera Chicana que necesita su música alternativa!

Y finalmente I’m starting to feel more comfortable combining these parts of my identidad

Verse 3:

It was so refreshing to read Michelle’s memoir and I’m going to start reading Alice’s too They all represent the punk aesthetic but I also got to learn what they had to go through

And it’s definitely hard to be a woman of color in a predominantly white scene

But as a young rockera Chicana now in a predominantly white space, I feel so seen

My Mexican culture has always used the dark eyeliner and dark liner on our lips

But the white goths and punks decided to never give credit for our tips

Outro:

I still have so much to learn about how my two identities have mixed throughout history

But because I’ve found so many new artists and books, I don’t have to worry

There are people out there that look like me and like the things that I do

I’m so fortunate for this discovery since it’s been my breakthrough

I’m no longer ashamed of who I am because of these Chicana rockera women

¡Porque soy una pinche rockera Chicana también!

PART

PART 2

Remnants of Nature

Writing by Nawal Chaudury and Jaylynn Rodriguez

Artwork by Kieu My Truongw

Photographs by Gabriella Nieves

her garden

On the first day he tended to her garden—

The tulips are temperamental she explained with her hands, her eyes falling to the shears in his his foresight rewarded with her shy smile

The tulips need a little more work

It was one of the better first days— her heart, his hands, in the weeds

And on the second day he poisoned the well— he said to drink and so she did her cup fashioned from his rib, his laughter was uneasy, and so was hers florals in her peripherals

Soon she could no longer see her tulips

On the third day she woke with his shears in her throat Her tulips caged in a vase on her nightstand, their stems severely angled, wellwater wilting away their wonder when she wept, she wept petals.

On the sixth day she was born again.

let’s say my eyes are the color of dirt. say, that because of this, my tears are spring flowersblooming, blossoming, bountiful. say my skin is the color of the sun, (gleaming) and that my body curls small enough to become its own seed. say that my tongue paints rainbows in the sky, my hair draws birds from their trees and snakes from their bushes… then am i not a work of art, too?

they say that my ancestors sang in secret, made their stories into music so that they could dance until their anger relinquished into a comfortable sweat.

i say i can still feel them, feel their love in my blood and in my spirit, i can feel them in my fingertips, even now, even after the fact. en mi sangre, lo siento.

i am made of whatever is left.

the last in a line of leftovers, those mothers who made do with what they had.

as children, we dug our hands into the sand in search of red clay, never failing to be amazed at the fruits of this labor. we shaped it in our sticky hands, and buried them again, just to leave something behind -perhaps, as declarations of our existence. as if to say: Here we were, and soon we’ll come again.

others had graffiti, or lovers.

trophies, medals, and plaques. photographs and letters, and carved up tree stumps.

but all we had was sand.

what are we doing here except for trying to prove ourselves to something, hoping to be remembered long enough to outlive our own mortality?

or lovers. trophies, medals, and plaques. photographs and letters, and carved up tree stumps.

Jaylynn Rodgrigues

but all we had was sand. what are we doing here except for trying to prove ourselves to something, hoping to be remembered long enough to outlive our own mortality?

Reflections of Love

Writing by Eliza King, Calla Lee, and Judith Hernandez

Artwork by Carmen Quintos and Nawal Maqbool

Photographs by Gabriella Nieves

In a long time

For the first time I am remembering what it is to love yourself. To recognize myself in the mirror and know that is me and she is wonderful. Spring comes once every year. The other seasons march us towards death then to Rebirth. To spring again. And I wonder why do we wait so long for Life to come back around.

Eliza King

Carmen Quintos

Lifetimes

When I die, let me be Hmong again so that every smile returns to our people – and every loss will heal, surrounded by the nurturing of my love.

My grandfathers who were children, fighting wars for a country that would amputate us as if we are discardable bullets lost in tall grass. My grandmothers who were women at 13, huddling with their own and other fatherless children, as if we are not people with culture and history. I wonder if it is possible to love enough to fill these voids which have drained my people dry of love.

When I die, let me be Hmong again so that every hardship I carry does not become my children’s – and every loss will heal, surrounded by the parts of me that will love in every lifetime.

Calla Lee

Tonight I Dream of California

I walk beneath the bones of the city that paint the sky gray, whose branches hang and stretch until they intertwine.

I have learned to love the ways the trees hold each other. How they make a quiet city feel less empty. But when I see them, all I think of is California of Oakland of a city that already knows how to love me that never asks me to beg for its warmth.

When my plane landed in Minnesota, and I was alone with only my suitcases I questioned whether or not I would be enough to hold all the memories Oakland has gifted me. Memories of the Redwoods of the Black and Brown bodies who danced beneath them. Redwoods who whispered their secrets and stories to my mom about how they grew how long they’ve been here and all that they’ve seen how to heal with medicine only they can grow.

My mom repeats these stories to me through the static of a phone. She reminds me to take care of myself to drink more tea, wear more layers, and to speak louder. She reminds me that our last name carries the anger of too many women who were never allowed w to imagine themselves as anything more than mothers.

I sit in a classroom wondering how to belong with all of my stories. How to make space for all the memories Oakland has gifted me.

Memories of BART trains rumbling Mexican love songs that play every day as the sun sets Remnants of countries and distant homes that fight to exist on our tongues and in the aromas of our food. Parents yelling at their children in a language that doesn’t know how to say, I love you. Parents yelling at their children In a language that doesn’t know how to say, I’m sorry. Parents yelling at their children because all they have learned is survival and a love that isn’t always gentle.

I know I am enough to remember it all to never feel lonely in a new city that is always quiet and unkind with its sun. Enough to never question where home is.

Judith Hernandez

Feelings of The Self

Writing by Calla Lee and Xavier Pittman

Artwork by Nawal Maqbool, Michelle Osiro, Xaviwwer Pittman and Gabby Whitehurst

Photographs by Gabriella Nieves

And Again

A dark mist sinks from the stars and kisses the grass. For a moment, the moon twinkles against droplets left behind. The air feels warm, it fills your lungs softly, like a hug and tug of air grasping to your breath. I wonder what it would feel like to touch the softness building inside. As it slowly engulfs your lungs and throat. As it caresses your cheeks and kisses you goodnight.

The shining yellows wipe light onto your face, a film of sorrow as they dip you into their world. Floating, unconscious, temptations fill your head and drip from your mind. Dark liquid pools underneath you, and a cry creeps from your tongue to your lips as it carries your sadness.

Flickering eyes as you try and try to understand why. Try and try to find the ground again while the dark sky takes your fingers, and your arm, and soon your shoulders and body. Your hand reaches out for someone to kiss them and tell you to come back. Is it too late now? But time strikes once again, and wicked purples and blacks fade together as oranges and reds rise from the ground. You will be okay again, just as you have the nights before.

The moon hides its head under the surface as the blazing star washes the ink leaking from your eyes and ears.

It is yours now, your breath, your fingers, your arms, your shoulders, and your body. But day will pass and night will drag you backwards

Calla Lee

Michelle Osrio

Xavier Pittman

Godzilla

By Xavier Pittman

This piece was made with environmental destruction in mind like the original origins of Godzilla. Godzilla, if you did not know, is a reptile monster that was awakened and mutated by nuclear radiation, from there the tortured animal roams Japan causing destruction in its wake with its destructive power, size, and radiation breath. This seems like a silly idea on paper but when Godzilla was conceived it was a real manifestation of the fear and trauma Japanese people felt after the wake of Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and other nuclear disaster experiments, and while a large amount of the movies and media related to Godzilla are just cool eye candy for the most part, many of the films, particularly the 2016 film this piece was based off of, really communicate the terror of the consequences of human hubris. In this current day and age regarding the environmental crisis, I feel like the image of Godzilla was a good representation of what we are currently going through. Even though nowadays, nuclear waste disaster is not as much of an issue, knock on wood, we are still having a lot of issues with environmental disaster because of men in power relentlessly cutting corners to make profits at the expense of nature which translates to the expense of innocent people. Just one example is the Ohio railroad disaster in which the smoke cloud behind Godzilla harkens back to. Such a disaster could have been avoided if Donald Trump had not struck down a bill that required railroad companies to install safer brakes on their trains so that he could benefit from the favor of companies who wanted to save costs on train brakes. And now President Biden has approved the Willow Project which will cause further destruction to the planet, and the effects will be felt by people in the worst conditions. Similar to Godzilla, born into a tortured existence and just wanting to live, and harming those around it as a consequence.

Rebirth harkens many good things, but this piece is meant to show how in the Buddhist concept of rebirth, there can also be bad rebirths, and unless significant change is done, the rebirth we will go through, that this planet will go through, will be a hellish one.

Xavier Pittman

PART

PART 3

Final Words from SPACES Director

Cycles are really difficult, but important processes we go through in life. Having a SPACE of people to collaborate and process creative ideas with is really important to me as a curator. I hope to build more SPACES in this world where we can think about how to “REBIRTH THE EARTH.”

Sara Gregor Class of 2023

CREDITS

Magazine Editing

Editor in Cheif - Gabriella Nieves

Co-editor - Asha Criner

Creative Direction

Director - Gabriella Nieves

Codirecter - Asha Criner

Codirector - Sara Gregor

Models

Marine Lobos Garay

Solomon Dawit

Sara Gregor

Lorena Escobosa

Maddie Rodriguez

Ondieki Mania

Bock Maina

Binta Maina

Jizelle Villegas

Gabriella Nieves

Julianna Rivera

Lenny Prater

Sawyer Webbeking

Cristian Cano

Camilla Connor

Photography and Photoshoot Management

Gabriella Nieves

Sara Gregor

Writers + Artwork

Gabriella Nieves

Jizelle Villegas

Nawal Chaudury

Jaylynn Rodriguez

Kieu My Truong

Eliza Kingw

Calla Lee

Judith Hernandez

Carmen Quintos

Nawal Maqbool

Xavier Pittman

Michelle Osiro

Gabby Whitehurst

Sara Gregor

Thank

You!