Issues

The New KW

In Issue 1: In Transit

Janice Jo Lee

This poem is meant to be read out loud, with friends, while in transit. Persevere through construction, detours won’t trouble you Let these stories mark our new KW. A KW that connects us with... Read more

Cerasee

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Omi Ra

“Dawn! Come put on yuh shoes!” Dawn’s mother exclaimed from the kitchen, a small room at the back of the house where a portable kerosene stove and a tall eggshell white fridge fed the family of ... Read more

An Ode to Closure

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Rumaisa Bhatti Conan Stark Shukri Abdi Areeba Shaikh

Last year students from Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute (CHCI) filled the pages of issue i with creative writing and visual art. For issue ii, we had hoped to continue our collaboration with the school through a series of in-person workshops, and to connect with more students from high schools across Waterloo Region. COVID-19 put these plans on hold, but fortunately, one art teacher from CHCI fought to keep his students connected with us. We thank all the workers in education and students who continue to navigate complexity during the pandemic, especially those who give time and energy to facilitate opportunities for artistic development. Read more

Policing the Pandemic

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Niara van Gaalen Seemab Zahra Yasmeen Nematt Alla Tomi A. Ryan Antooa

When the first wave of COVID-19 in March 2020 set off emergency orders in Ontario, police departments were given increased powers to enforce public health measures that called for self-isolation and physical distancing. Neighbours were also encouraged to police each other through the use of “snitch-lines”, and an expanded state of surveillance was assumed as a new normal. This deepened pre-existing police presence and control in neighbourhoods where more poor, Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities live. KW Article Club, a reading group and art collective based in Waterloo Region, informed by work from local and international Black activists and organizers, sought to address these structural inequities in March 2020 through a zine titled #PolicingThePandemic. The following feature is an adapted version of that zine that adds two pieces that delve into the impact policing has on Black people, making a case for why we continue to strive towards a future where we prioritize care instead of enforcement. Read more

Quezon City, October 1, 1975

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Jared Cubilla

Everyone is watching two men bleed in the square. i. They’re leaning on each other, heads on the other’s shoulders. The referee pushes them apart and the mouthpieces fly into the air. Granddad, th... Read more

The Bitterness on Your Tongue

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Tomi A.

Listen to Tomi read from this piece: Textile · Tomi A. - The Bitterness On Your TongueI am listening to Nina Simone sing “Strange Fruit” and I am trying to sleep and all around me float visions o... Read more