Looking back at her family's traditions, one writer realizes brown women are often eclipsed in Bollywood
Naima Karp
As a half-Pakistani person, I often cozied up on the couch for Bollywood movie nights with my family growing up. These nights were more than a tradition—they were a rite of passage. I’m a fair-skinned South Asian, and this was a way for me to connect to my culture when I didn’t necessarily present as […] More »
When I learned I had precancerous lesions on my cervix and that my doctor was recommending I remove them surgically, my reaction went as follows: One, muted panic. Two, I’m definitely going to die. Three, Wait, what does that even mean? So I did what anyone in possession of an Internet connection in 2021 would […] More »
The Yukon is warming faster than anywhere else in the world. It's causing irreversible damage to Indigenous communities
Asha Swann
Arctic Canada is filling with puddles. Springtime in the Yukon looks astonishingly similar to June in Ontario. The days are long. Deer bite the heads off flowers deep in the forest. Icy mountains still loom in the distance, but here in the city of Whitehorse, wet mud squishes with every step. People wear shorts and […] More »
What fungi taught me about connection and healing in community
Katarina Sabados
Illustration by Ashley Wong As I open the bag of mycelium, a pleasant creamy smell wafts through the air. I break off a piece and feel the smooth pores between my fingers. It’s like grazing the soft hand of a long-lost grandparent. Around 1.1 billion years ago, the animal and fungi kingdoms split from plants […] More »
Illustration by Xulin Wang The astrologer didn’t look like an astrologer. I hadn’t expected someone so young, wearing a baggy BAPE sweatshirt, sporting Vidal Sassoon bangs cut in a perfect Bézier curve that skimmed her eyebrows. A septum ring glittered at her nose, forming an isosceles triangle with the giant gold hoops that hung from […] More »
Illustration by Francois Vigneault I’m at a party trying to join in a conversation with some men who are older than me, around their mid-thirties to forties. The conversation topics are bachelor parties, home ownership, and sports. I contribute maybe 10 sentences the whole night. At the end of the evening, I figure this needs […] More »
What is learned and lost when you grow up in purity culture (and yes, it's here in Canada too)
Samantha Purchase
Illustration by Diana Nguyen We practiced saying no in class. If a boy wants to have sex with you before you are married, you must be ready to steer the ship away from troubled waters. If you loved me, you’d have sex with me. If you loved me, you’d know I was waiting. Why? We’re […] More »
A dearth of good rom-coms coming out of Hollywood is fuelling an appetite for K-drama
Zeahaa Rehman
Illustration by Koko Lee A diehard romantic, I routinely scroll through Netflix’s “New & Popular” tab looking for the next rom-com to swoon over—and often keep scrolling. This year alone, I’ve scrolled past The Royal Treatment; Love in the Villa; A Perfect Pairing; Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between; and Persuasion. The only films I […] More »
How the Bannock Babes are creating a space for Indigenous drag
Jacqueline Salomé
Photo by Cherilyn Brazeau What is colonially called Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Treaty 1 territory, might not be known for its drag scene. But as home to The Bannock Babes, one of the fiercest drag collectives in the country—and one of very few Indigenous drag troupes on this side of the border—perhaps it should be. The […] More »
The Bob’s Burgers Movie takes the baton from Nancy Drew—and it gets emotional
Jennifer Whiteford
Illustration by Paterson Hodgson At nine years old I was an under-the-covers reader. Even on nights when my parents were distracted by their cassette tapes and homemade wine, I wouldn’t risk turning on my bedside lamp after 8:30 p.m. Maybe my parents knew I was deep into the world of Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown […] More »