Issues

Vermillion

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Zehra Nawab

The day starts for the poor long before it does for the rich; for the ruled long before it does for the rulers; for the sun long before it does for the moon; for the Indians long before it does for th... 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

This House

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Yasmeen Nematt Alla

Listen to Yasmeen talk about working with Textile on the Watershed Writers Podcast. I am leaving this house, moving an hour away, trying to feel like I am worth a beginning,my mother tells me I am bre... Read more

Tiles

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Dewe'igan Bearfoot Olivia Maine

For Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, the pandemic deepened pre-existing inequities. The aid that settler-colonial systems offered did not account for (or value) the importance of physical and spiritual spaces for Indigenous communities. Locally, urban Indigenous youth who were just beginning to learn about their culture were suddenly denied access to spaces they needed in order to be in relationship with each other and with the land. Building relationships with the land and with each other in a face-to-face way is an important part of reconnection and healing; removing these connections deeply impacted Indigenous youth and made it necessary to adapt art projects accordingly. To navigate this, Textile supported Pins and Needles Fabric Company, an Indigenous inter-arts company in Waterloo Region, in co-designing an art program with Indigenous youth. Through online talking circles and in-person meetings with appropriate physical distancing, youth considered the following questions: How is Indigeneity (re)claimed or denied during this pandemic? How does physical distancing and self-quarantine impact relationships to the land and to the community? Based on conversations on how youth wanted to express themselves, participants were delivered art-kits containing supplies to make tile art on wood panels to respond to these questions. The following feature shares artwork from two of the seven youth who engaged in this program. Read more

I promise we did not gather

In Issue 2: Space(s)

Yasmeen Nematt Alla

When this Eid hits, we know we will spend it alone and at home and it’s fine. My family is safe and together and I am grateful for so much. We make chai and have Eid cookies and there is warmth here... Read more

Vermillion (Digital Storytelling Workshop)

Zehra Nawab

The day starts for the poor long before it does for the rich; for the ruled long before it does for the rulers... Read more