By Alan Lechusza In the era where banned books are up 30-40% nationwide overall (1,477 situations of banned books affecting 874 titles, PEN America 2023), the importance of contemporary cultural language – its use, dialectic and multi-media reference – becomes important. Pop cultural language transgresses the growing divide between academia and the modern lingua franca. … Continue reading Talk to Me Sister, Trixie Mattel as a Pop Social Linguist
A Patch of Green
By Ebony Haywood Previously published in Five on the Fifth When my student, Cristina, told me that she lived next door to a cemetery, my ears perked. “A cemetery?” “Yeah. Sometimes it feels creepy.” Cristina is fifteen with eyes that are always alert and a ponytail that sweeps the air like a pendulum. She is … Continue reading A Patch of Green
Why Do I Always Have to be on Time? My Obsession with Punctuality
By Phyllis Bordo My stomach does somersaults, and my palms become sweaty. My heart rockets in my chest and my cheeks go cherry red. It’s crazy; I get anxious even if I think I’ll be only a few minutes late. I don’t know why I have this obsession with being punctual. If I have a … Continue reading Why Do I Always Have to be on Time? My Obsession with Punctuality
Letters
By George Michael Brown The year was 1988. My mother had passed away the previous December, my father twenty-seven years before that. I was cleaning out their house, getting it ready to sell; the house I grew up in. I was removing items out of a small room in the basement, hidden behind the furnace, … Continue reading Letters
The parlour stove
By Vahida Berberovic Like so many children of my generation, my brother and I grew up with two working parents, and no one thought too much of leaving children alone at home. My parents had moved to Germany form the then-Yugoslavia, and my mother was keen to work and reap the benefits of earning her … Continue reading The parlour stove
Intensive Care
By Yolanda M. Joosten you stay as late as you can, given that you haven’t slept much in a couple of days, but who can sleep in a chair in the ICU when their mother is so close to death, so you listen to the doctor, talk to the nurse and leave them your number … Continue reading Intensive Care
Ercan
By Ashok Shenolikar “What’s your name?” I asked the taxi driver after my wife Bharati and I settled in the backseat. “Erjan,” he said. “You want to visit the Hagia Sophia?” he asked. When we agreed he said there would be a two-hour minimum charge. We thought that was reasonable. And we didn’t have any … Continue reading Ercan
Deer Heart
By Phyllis Bordo The sky was turning from pink and gold to evening’s hazy dusk and shadows crossed our path in front of the car as it snaked its way along the country road. We neared the top of a hill, and as if appearing by magic, they were everywhere! “Look out! Slow down. … Continue reading Deer Heart
The Joys of Neighbourliness
By Dr. Elizabeth V. Koshy I. We are an eclectic mix of Gujaratis, Punjabis, Maharashtrains and Malayalees at Krishnakunj. Most of us are second generation children of parents who have migrated from their home states for work. In the evenings, young mothers watch their little children at play, exchange news, pleasantries and the joys and … Continue reading The Joys of Neighbourliness
Hollow Pain
By Mona Angéline Wanting to take back her words, it was too late. The teacher made eye contact with me, and her face had lost much of its color. She tried to hug me as my tears came. Moments ago, she had led me into our classroom, away from the group outside, to stow my … Continue reading Hollow Pain
Academy of the Heart And Mind 