By The Editors

Fact: Pride Month wouldn't exist without Black queer advocates. What many are learning is that Pride Month and LGBTQ+ rights wouldn't be where they are today without key events like the Stonewall Riots and activist Marsha P. Johnson. In honor of Pride Month and the Black lives crucial to the movement, we're taking a moment to recommend some revolutionary voices in the Black queer community. Remember this as you celebrate the last day of Pride: All Black Lives Matter. 
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By The Editors

While regular submissions are still open as always, we do have a special call for our latest anthology, which will highlight Black (yes, a capital B. Check the new AP style book rule!) voices. 
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By Melissa Schack

Clarissa Goenawan is an Indonesian-born mystery writer based in Singapore. She has written two novels set in Japan: Rainbirds and her most recent work, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida. In Perfect World, the author explores the identity of Miwako Sumida, a university student who dies by suicide and the impact it has on the people around her.
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You can find her on Twitter @ClaireClaire05 and Facebook/Instagram @ClarissaGoenawan.
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By Suzanne Cottrell

Millions of years ago, rocks shifted, buckled, and collided like derailed train cars. Wind and water ate away at rocks and created distinct waterfalls, “The Sisters.” The power of water intrigued me, so one May afternoon when a writers’ conference allocated some free time, I convinced Sarah to go hiking at DuPont State Recreational Forest, located halfway between Hendersonville and Brevard, North Carolina.   

I have found hiking therapeutic and inspirational for my writing. As Sarah and I hiked to Triple Falls and High Falls, I reflected on the power of natural forces, as well as forces that have shaped my life. My conversation with Sarah was minimal and focused on our nature observations.
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By Rebel Tipton

What I'll never get is why we cling to a legacy of men whose war was one of the most pathetic power plays in human history. But whatever, there's plenty of things I'll never understand about men or people in general who still think worshiping official losers is cool. 

While the legacy of Confederate culture is still alive and embedded into our culture (along with all of the other things allowing systemic racism to continue), the official Confederate States of America only lasted five years. So tune in and discover five things on this shitty planet that lasted longer than these glorified participation trophies...which is worth mentioning that we never ever ​wanted.  

By Gretchen Gales

Gorongosa Coffee isn’t your typical “feel-good” premium coffee brand for a cause. Instead, the brand is the example of the way a cause-focused brand should be: people first and community-centered. Based out of Gorongosa National Park, it could be the key to making the country of Mozambique the epicenter of a business model sustainable enough to save the planet. 
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By Ghia Vitale

People might call me strange for saying this, but when I look back, noticing anime girls was one of my earliest expressions of queerness. Even as a young child, watching Sailor Moon made me aware of the sapphic attraction that’s always been inside of me.

By Melissa Schack

By Kay Smith-Blum

By Melissa Schack 

By The Editors
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By Gretchen Gales

*Editor's Note: This is not an exhaustive list and will be updated to include more museums or information, so keep it bookmarked! Last update: 6/27/2020, Louisiana. 

The Black Lives Matter movement and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd have finally brought a good deal of clarity to many people previously unaware of just how badly racism still impacts America (hint: it's a deeply systemic problem). The influx of donations to Black organizations and individuals has been overwhelming in a great way, but how long will it last? In order for real change to happen, its important to keep supporting Black voices far beyond the protests and the news cycle. So when an organization encourages you to share the wealth with others, but doesn't give a suggestion, where can you send your support? The answer? Black History Museums. 

Since the arrival of COVID-19 and quarantine, museums across the world had no choice but to shut their doors to the public, meaning any revenue from daily ticket sales or merchandise was cut. Commonly underfunded to begin with, 13% of museums worldwide will not be able to reopen after the pandemic due to economic stress. In order to preserve the past and current efforts made to support Black rights, the moments we are seeing on our screens right now need to be preserved for generations to come. 

To be clear, the way to make the biggest impact is to set up a regularly-occurring donation set up so that the museum you support has a steady source of income. If that isn't financially possible for you, spread the word about the museums and their exhibitions, plan a trip to visit, or write and tell them how important their work is to you. 

This list will be expanded, so remember to check back frequently. 
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By Melissa Schack

Adam Zucker is an arts writer, educator, and artist from Forest Hills, Queens, New York City who keeps a blog called Artfully Learning. The blog focuses on using art in K-12 curricula and recently includes Zucker’s lesson plans for remote learning. 

In times when classrooms are closed, Artfully Learning provides access to the arts for the growth and development of school-aged kids. You can find Adam Zucker on Twitter @azuckerforart and Facebook.
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By Melissa Schack

Teresa Milbrodt is a short story writer with a new book, Instances of Head-Switching, scheduled for release on June 23, 2020. Her other books include the short story collections, Bearded Women: Stories and Work Opportunities, a novel, The Patron Saint of Unattractive People; and a collection of flash fiction, Larissa Takes Flight: Stories. She believes the arts allow us to switch heads and experience other spaces or people or ideas. During times of crisis, a different perspective through art can give us the opportunity to keep our heads on straight.

This fall she starts a new position as an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. You can find her online on her author webpage and her Goodreads author page.
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By Alex Carrigan

In 2014, the Richard Linklater film Boyhood was released to critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations. The film was shot over 12 years, following a young boy through his childhood and teen years, and allowing the viewer to see the actors naturally age on screen. The film was well-received, but did receive some mixed responses towards its narrow focus on a white boy in Texas, with most of the setting around him barely affecting the story beyond the minor window dressing of Dragonball Z bed sheets and Harry Potter book releases. But the framework of the film was one that had a lot of potential to be tackled in other media and in different ways.