GIVING ROOM MAG
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Issue 2:
Queer Nostalgia

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Dear friends,

Someone recently asked me, "When did you know you were queer?" It got me thinking; I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know. “Queer” was a thing that I was constantly aware of being, yet constantly turning around in my palm. Examining. Leaving and coming back to. Nourishing. And whether or not I knew it in my youth, being queer influenced everything about me, because it is me.

Seeing Issue 2 come together has reconfirmed how deeply personal the queer experience is for each person. How it moves with us, changes with us, and grows with us. This issue is a beautiful encapsulation of queerness in its infinite forms. It's reminded me that sometimes, the best way to honor queerness, and queer people, is to listen. We have much to learn, and much to think about. Let's start with the writers and artists featured below.  

I feel like a big part of my job as the Managing Editor of this magazine is saying "thank you." That's probably because, without fail, someone else on this team is helping me. A big thanks to Carla Wilson and Emily Goldsmith, who are the newest members of our leadership team and both talented writers themselves. Another thanks to our diligent editorial boards working behind the scenes to read each submission. And of course, a massive thanks to Cerissa DiValentino for dedicating their heart and soul to this publication. I'll never get tired of saying "thank you." 

As a team, we can’t imagine a better theme for Giving Room Mag, or a better way to celebrate, and ruminate on, Pride Month. We hope this issue fills your heart up with compassion and gratitude, the way it filled ours. 

Sincerely,
Kelly Stohr
Founding Member & Managing Editor
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FICTION


"pasadena nocturne"
Emily Frost

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"A starfish is rejected"
​Elizabeth Gibson

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POETRY


"The Sound of Kissing"
​​Jackie Domenus

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"Junk Drawer"
Sandra Knight

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"Fishtails"
"Like Christmas"
"Encore"

Elizabeth Gibson
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"In Conversation with Gender Euphoria"
"The Chosen Family Cookbook"
"Deodorant"

Caitlin McKenzie
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"Instructions on How to Clean a Filthy Body"
​Maxwell Suzuki
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"Elegy of Emily"
Madison Sides
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"a tetering identity"
hetvi

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"Learning to Spice Up My Life Brought Me Joy"​
Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius
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"Untitled"
​Lola Anaya

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"Orange Girl"
Sarah Bean

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"As I am made from the Earth"
Skyla Allen
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"Louis"
Anthony Aguero
"berry blush and crimson cheeks"
"sour / sweet"

by Elizabeth Sallow

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VISUAL ART


"Der Mond ist Aufgegangen"
​Kristina Rogers

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"Fortuitous Beauty"
Joyce Alexander
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"The Kiss"
​Mary Liza Hartong
"A Portrait of Perspectives"
by Skyla Allen
  • Home
  • Issues
    • ISSUE 1
    • ISSUE 2: QUEER NOSTALGIA
    • ISSUE 3: METAMORPHOSIS
    • ISSUE 4
    • ISSUE 5
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    • BLOG
  • Our Team
    • Staff
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