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Articles 1 - 23 of 23
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Blowing Apart In The Wind, Lainey Terfruchte
Blowing Apart In The Wind, Lainey Terfruchte
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
No abstract provided.
Crooked Smile, Kaitlin Jacobson
Crooked Smile, Kaitlin Jacobson
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
As a songwriter, I love connecting my poetry to songs. There are so many similarities between life and music, and that is just beautiful to me. I wrote this poem about very real experiences I have had, about the idea of sugarcoating reality for the sake of what life really looks like under the surface. This is similar to my songs, when my melodies are seen as catchy but the lyrics are overlooked. As a queer woman, there have been many times where I have felt silenced, or where my pain has been overlooked and my lyrics haven't been taken …
From The Child On The Battlefield, Moreen Akomea-Ampeh
From The Child On The Battlefield, Moreen Akomea-Ampeh
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
These innocent children experience fear, broken homes, stolen childhood, hopelessness, and grime, but why should they be punished for something they likely might not have initiated?
For [Redacted], Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
For [Redacted], Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This poem was written following the attempts of a close friend and myself to create awareness for the ongoing genocide in Tigray, Ethiopia in particular, and in reaction to activism in the age of social media in general. The digital age and related phenomena, such as hashtag activism and cancel culture, has enabled certain social justice movements to gain rapid traction while other equally worthy movements struggle to find a foothold. Simultaneously, standards of accountability and ethics continue to decline among global news media, with non-Western countries such as Ethiopia and my own home country of Sri Lanka bearing the …
Deathtrap, Blake Traylor
Deathtrap, Blake Traylor
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
I could have titled this one "Bad Trip in an Elevator," but that would twist the poem away from its authenticity. You'll have to trust me on this one: this happened. Not in the usual sense, but in that fiction-is-truth-in-a-funhouse-mirror, postmodern Tim O'Brien sense. And hallucinogens were not involved, nor are they encouraged or condoned. (Do with that Wretched Passive Voice what you will.)
If the word "Deathtrap" didn't amuse me so much, I really could have run with the title "Tired." Or maybe "Very Tired" would have been better. And then there are always the big-hitters: "Fatigue," "Exhaustion," "Are …
Freefall In Reverse, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Freefall In Reverse, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This poem was written as a direct response to the 22nd Vasquez Valarezo Award theme of "Discontentment." Breaking the noun "Discontentment" into its components parts allowed me to explore of the emotions and mental health states experienced by myself and my community during the "COVID summer" of 2020. Each of the poem's stanzas encourages readers to contemplate different emotional stages and the various coping mechanisms they may demand in order to regain a sense of control and stability. The poem also alludes to the value of a strong community during times of crisis, in particular the international student community of …
Proof Positive, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Proof Positive, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This poem is an exploration of the aftermath of sexual assault and the myriad factors which determine how women, especially women of colour and Asian women, cope with that aftermath. I am particularly concerned with how the testimony and literature of Asian women can prompt other Asian women to unravel their own stories by reflecting these stories back to them and giving them a medium through which to have this confrontation. With this piece I attempt to communicate that the act of confronting and sharing trauma is a continuous and absolutely vital process for survivors of sexual assault.
Saying The Words, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Saying The Words, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This poem takes a viscerally personal approach to the "Time's Up" movement's philosophy of making revelations and facing difficult realities.
Freedom, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Freedom, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This poem explores the darker side of Facebook's role in sparking online activism and social movements.
Trapped, Anne Mitchell
Trapped, Anne Mitchell
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This villanelle describes the feeling of being trapped in a body that does not feel like your own; the repetition of the form embodies the haunting thoughts of mental illness or other paralyzing fear.
Bendiciones, Lydia M. Lara
Bendiciones, Lydia M. Lara
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
A poem embodying the simple yet powerful gesture of the bendicion. For many latinxs this gesture commonly occurs between older family members to younger family members as farewell, prayer, and blessings to protect the younger individual on their journies through life. The gesture of the blessing is a meaningful and deeply rooted action that carries the blessings of the ancestors who have come before us and endured colonization, dictatorship, and civil war and spiritually drives their children and children's children to fight for better in the modern day Latina/Chicana struggle. We are our ancestors wildest dreams.
When You Become A Mine Instead Of A Field, Alyssa Froehling
When You Become A Mine Instead Of A Field, Alyssa Froehling
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
No abstract provided.
When You Become A Mine Instead Of A Field, Alyssa Froehling
When You Become A Mine Instead Of A Field, Alyssa Froehling
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
No abstract provided.
Bendiciones, Lydia Lara
Bendiciones, Lydia Lara
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
A poem embodying the simple yet powerful gesture of the bendicion. For many latinxs this gesture commonly occurs between older family members to younger family members as farewell, prayer, and blessings to protect the younger individual on their journies through life. The gesture of the blessing is a meaningful and deeply rooted action that carries the blessings of the ancestors who have come before us and endured colonization, dictatorship, and civil war and spiritually drives their children and children's children to fight for better in the modern day Latina/Chicana struggle. We are our ancestors wildest dreams.
Trapped, Anne Mitchell
Trapped, Anne Mitchell
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
This villanelle describes the feeling of being trapped in a body that does not feel like your own; the repetition of the form embodies the haunting thoughts of mental illness or other paralyzing fear.
'They Make It So Difficult To Love Ourselves', Elise "Alice" G. Roberson
'They Make It So Difficult To Love Ourselves', Elise "Alice" G. Roberson
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
No abstract provided.
Lost Weight, Alyssa Froehling
Lost Weight, Alyssa Froehling
'They Make It So Difficult To Love Ourselves', Elise "Alice" G. Roberson
'They Make It So Difficult To Love Ourselves', Elise "Alice" G. Roberson
Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award
No abstract provided.
Body Image, Marissa Gasper
Solitude, Marissa Gasper
Body Image, Marissa Gasper
Solitude, Marissa Gasper