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FALL 2016 FALL 2016 : ISSUE 2
THE AUDACITY ISSUE 2
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CREDITS
Staff Editor-in-Chief..............................................................Erin Kuykendall Art Director.............................................................................Moses Lee Creative Director.................................................................Melina Perez Social Media Coordinator...................................................Maiya Evans Social Media........................................Natalie Arriaga, Mariah Becerra Writing Director....................................................Ashley Magenheimer Event Planning.......................................Ebanie Griffith, Emma Raney Public Relations.....................................................................Emily Ruiz
Guests
Acknowledgments The Audacity would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous patronage of The University of Texas’s Student Government and Senate of College Councils. We would also like to thank Friends and Neighbors for their support in providing the majority of clothing and accessories pictured and Top Drawer for providing the clothing and accessories for Persephone.
THE AUDACITY
Photographer (Herland).............................................Bethony Harnden Models (Herland)...............Maiya Evans, Madi Gordon, Allison Lopez, Melina Perez, Clare Robinson Makeup Artist (Herland)..................................................Whitney Chen Makeup Artist (Herland, Peach).....................................Christine Rafie Photographer (Peach)..............................................................Alexa Ray Models (Peach)...................Asha Dane’el, Daniela Pachon, Jen Rachid Assistants (Peach)........Clarence Yuan, Catalina Casar, Gregorio Casar Photographer (Georgia).....................................................Tony Redmer Model (Georgia).....................................................................Kristen Orr Makeup Artist (Georgia, Persephone)............................Natalie Arriaga Assistant (Georgia)...........................................................Julian Castillo Photographer (Thought).........................................................Moses Lee Model (Thought).............................................................Ebanie Griffith Makeup Artist (Thought)................................................Mariah Becerra Assistants (Thought)..................Christine Rafie, Ashley Magenheimer, Madi Gordon, Gioia Caponera Photographer (Persephone)....................................................Moses Lee Model (Persephone).......................................................Denise Zaldivar Makeup Artist (Persephone).......................Jessica Teran, Maiya Evans Assistant (Persephone).....................................................Clarence Yuan
CONTENTS
Contents Staff Portrait...........................................................................................4 Black Lives Matter..................................................................................6 Persephone.............................................................................................8 The Crash.............................................................................................20 Herland.................................................................................................22 Sweet Tea.............................................................................................32 The Most Difficult Thought.................................................................34 Do I Dare to Eat a Peach?....................................................................44 Altar Series...........................................................................................52 FALL 2016 : ISSUE 2
Georgia.................................................................................................54
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POETRY
BLACK LIVES MATTER THE AUDACITY
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BLACK LIVES MATTER
I wanna write a song A sonnet written over Motown handclaps A haiku written over the freshest trap snare and booming bass To bleep over in censor for every time one of us has been called a nigger (myself, seven times) A national anthem that no one would feel the need to kneel to Produced with a hood-ass beat that’ll make people watch in discomfort as I play it out of my car with all the windows down Packed with hooks so addicting they replace every needle, bump, or spark of a lighter A birdsong that the grackle and the crow and the raven and the night owl could all join together in chorus for A radio hit for the Black cop in his patrol vehicle as mainstream discourse splits his identity in two A song to twerk, Milly Rock, hit the quan, bank head, cripwalk and dab over without end FALL 2016 : ISSUE 2
To play as background music to soothe my mind, on fire, after explaining to her that my speaking properly doesn’t mean that I am “White” by any means The score to a historical epic romance between Nubian lovers To play over every gunshot A song to hum to comfort myself as I realize that we still wade into water A song that blasts out of speakers without struggle, easily drowning out the roars of the next convoy of bikers that want to disrupt a Black Lives Matter vigil To play at a party in my crossfaded fever to help me forget I was just told that “coming from a White guy, you’re the most attractive Black man at the party” A commercial jingle to play as beautiful black women flounce their hair on a TV screen I want to write a song because people want us to stop talking To stop chanting And if that’s what they really want We can sing instead just as easily Ohiozele Eromosele
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PERSEPHONE
Persephone
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Persephone’s forlorn cries echo throughout the heavens, and her voice, reverberating with steadfast strength, becomes the tool which eventually saves her.
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Power and Protection in the Myth of Persephone
In Hymn to Demeter, a young goddess named Persephone gleefully picks flowers alongside a group of other female deities. But the harmonious springtime scene soon turns violent when Hades, god of the Underworld, snatches the maiden from the field and hides her from her mother, Demeter. As Persephone plunges into the darkness with Hades, her screaming voice echoes throughout the cosmos, desperately invoking the gods’ assistance, but to no avail; only Demeter hears her cries. This commences the epic search for Persephone that occupies the central theme in this legendary myth, one which has subsequently inspired some of the most highly admired artists, writers, and philosophers in the West.
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The tale begins sorrowfully: after hearing the hopeless wails of Persephone, Demeter frantically searches for her, inquiring of numerous gods though they help her not. But Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and of agriculture; so in an effort to find and save her beloved Persephone, Demeter makes a bold move and prevents the growth of any and all crops on earth. Of course, to the original Greek listener who would have relied on the consistency of the agricultural cycle for his or her survival, the consequences of a deity stunting the earth’s fertility would be far-reaching. Thus, in an unprecedented move, Demeter stops the entire natural cycle of heaven and earth all for one purpose: the salvation of her daughter, Persephone.
PERSEPHONE
Attempting to find adequate representation of women in the Western canon often poses a difficult task; therefore, the attention paid to feminine emotion and agency within this myth is notable, especially given its early origins in the 7th century BCE. In Hymn to Demeter, for example, the power of Persephone’s voice takes center stage as that which initiates her mother’s dolorous search. Though the cataclysmic series of events originates in Hades’ non-consensual abduction, Persephone’s forlorn cries echo throughout the heavens, and her voice, reverberating with steadfast strength, becomes the tool which eventually saves her.
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In the end, since Zeus notices the threats Demeter’s actions pose to humanity’s well-being, he intervenes and returns the daughter to her mother. Before allowing her to leave his domain, however, Hades cunningly makes Persephone eat a pomegranate seed, thereby symbolically wedding her to her abuser and making her the Queen of the Underworld. Regardless of this bittersweet ending, the goals of both Demeter and Persephone are, at least in part, accomplished since they are reunited in the end. But this reunion would never have been possible without Persephone’s initial echoing cries, or without the dramatic, cosmological intervention of her mother, Demeter. Each goddess used the resources at her disposal to manipulate her environment and free herself from suffering. Altogether, the hymn can be read as allegorizing the strength of the maternal bond and the power of the female voice. Despite her restrictive and intrusively patriarchal environment, Persephone’s simultaneous role as the Queen of Spring and the Queen of the Underworld demonstrates an astounding victory instead of tragic victimization.
Jayce Chandler
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PERSEPHONE
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NAME
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POETRY
The Crash
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THE CRASH
You’re fragile The two small words hit her with one fell swoop Pain swelled within her as she tried to repress anger resolve confusion escape melancholia Deep within, frustration gripped her heart The acid coursing through She became desperate and despondent She did not want to be that person She had never seen herself as that person
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The woman who could not find herself support herself know herself Worse, One who did not trust herself Fragile? She wondered in her misery Crumbling into a woman she no longer recognized Degrading into a person she was no longer proud of Blame was simply too easy to place Fortitude became an impossible feat And she could no longer quiet the voice quell the fear shake the doubt And quickly confusedly terrifyingly
Sonyah Seiden
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fragile she became.
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HERLAND
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They had no enemies; they themselves were all sisters and friends. The land was fair before them, and a great future began to form itself in their minds. They loved one another with a practically universal affection, rising to exquisite and unbroken friendships, and broadening to a devotion to their country and people. Imagine a world of only women—where war and disease have been abolished, poverty and crime do not plague the civilization, and a binding sisterhood is the self-fulfilment that drives this utopian society. Imagine a world where education is regarded as the most important aspect of life, and the ingenuity of womankind has created a lush environment that flourishes in the country that is Herland. The residents of Herland unite under the philosophy that the country is always in a state of improvement, and that future generations of scientists, philosophers, teachers and mothers will continue to maintain the deep union of sorority for this prosperous country.
This is an ode to womankind, and to the women that encourage their counterparts to achieve excellence.
Ashley Magenheimer
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Charlotte Perkins Gilman is the author behind Herland, a utopian novel that explores themes of femininity and sisterhood, as well as the traditional gender roles that dictated expectations of men and women in the early 1900s. With respect to the time, Gilman created female characters that escaped the bias constructs of womanhood; she created women that did not fall blind to the ardor of men, women that were capable of free-thought and creativity, and women who didn’t need the assistance of men to achieve greatness. The empowered females of Herland are free from the constructs of societal standards because such women operate under the belief that sisterhood is enough to sustain the female psyche.
HERLAND
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art by maryam amjadi
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SWEET TEA
sweet tea the forest drapes me in her emerald cape puts her hands on my shoulders whispers “breathe child” then goes to brew tea sweet of the leaves that grow at her feet steams the echo of her songs in honeysuckle petals she brings me sweet tea
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and i know her hands they are my own she is my sister my mother grandmother’s mother she calls to the one in me that speaks in song “breathe child” and i remember she was the one who painted my face before the morning star of this human life rose in the East i know her hands from the whisper of a moment before we were stars i remember she holds every beginning and each of the ends in the palm of her left keeps her right hand open to hold the hands of those in need i remember i know her hands when she brings me sweet tea
kate hoyle
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THE MOST DIFFICULT THOUGHT
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The Most Difficult Thought
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THE MOST DIFFICULT THOUGHT
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Do I Dare To Eat A Peach? THE AUDACITY
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DO I DARE TO EAT A PEACH?
Often, standing for what you believe in can feel like standing alone. Merely thinking about speaking out and being heard, much less acting on these thoughts, is enough to induce many into a sort of temporary paralysis. Frozen by fear and suffocated by the words that we swallow, many people live life only as they are expected to. It’s just the way it is. Sharing your thoughts gives outsiders a glimpse into your spirit. Your opinions transform you from persona into person--a person that others may or may not agree with, a person who others may judge. These fears are what stop us from speaking out, and these fears often lead us to ask ourselves three words. “Do I dare?”
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These words are at the heart of T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which is a story about a man who is afraid. He’s afraid to talk to the women at the party, afraid to break the status quo, afraid to alter the universe. He’s afraid of change because he understands that once something is done, it cannot be undone. “Do I dare?” These same words are those that revolutionaries and innovators have asked themselves time and time again for generations. Even the greatest of us have uttered these words, words that are just as relevant in 2016 as they were when they were penned in 1915. Change in and of itself is frightening. Being the person to incite that change can be terrifying. It is a long and slow process that is often met with slander, resistance, and even violence. When T.S. Eliot wrote “Do I dare to eat a peach?” he knew this truth. He knew that once the messy process has begun it must not stop. There is no end until The End. Until the pulp and juices of the peach have trickled down your chin and found their way between your teeth, until the peach has filled the space with its distinct and heavy scent, until it is done and all that is left is the seed. There is no end until it is changed. These women represent that change. These women asked themselves “Do I dare?” and bit into life nonetheless. In doing so, they are standing with all of us who have been momentarily frozen by fear. They are not standing alone, they are standing first.
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DO I DARE TO EAT A PEACH?
“I am a board member for the Lilith Fund,
a Texas abortion fund. We provide funding
for people who cannot afford the procedure.
We also have a bigger mission: we are
fighting against policies and cultural norms that decrease abortion access. We disturb the universe because we’re demanding so much more.”
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“I am one of the founders of UT Farm Stand and I have been leading the outreach and
social media. Sustainability is geared around
trying to have as little negative impact
on the people, animals, and environment
as possible. That ‘disturbs the universe’.
It’s sad but becoming sustainable humans is going to require a lot of rewiring of our
minds and perspectives. I say embrace it.
We can all represent sustainability because, my negative impact, the more I feel human.
That’s power.”
Daniela Pachon
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I believe, it’s in us. The more I try to reduce
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DO I DARE TO EAT A PEACH?
“Right now most of my sweat and mental energy goes into photography. When I’m
doing this work, I go by the name Jinni J.
When I’m not in the zone on a shoot,
I’m working with my best buds on Raw Paw (a screen print + design factory + media label). My favorite part is that the work
I do necessitates that I interact with people & often these experiences are intimate, one-on-one’s with people–I do hope to
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remind people that there is beauty and
value to our lives, and that we are all
connected. I just try and spread smiles
and hopefully that will disturb someone’s
universe, reminding them they are loved.” Jen Rachid
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ALTAR SERIES
Altar Series
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Misinterpretations are constantly molding the past. It’s like playing a game of telephone, except sometimes we just disregard what anyone tells us and start to believe what we want to believe. We are selfish creatures, we are biased, we are human. We live in a world of repeating stories through different lenses. Did past artists who created religious work shift the tone of religious scripture? The purpose of this series is to give the Virgin Mary a different life, a different story. People put so much weight on the Virgin Mary as a saint, and have never questioned what she must have done with her personal time, or if she’s ever had any ideas, dreams, or ambitions. I would like to think that this series is going to mold history into making people believe that yes, Mary did play backgammon with her jazz band, and yes she did once get a manicure. Let us continue to bend our stories, bend our truths, create lies and settle in them, because clearly, we live our lives believing in what we want and we cultivate through others what we believe in.
Kate Barbee
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Georgia
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GEORGIA
From the dawn of human creativity until recent times, the art of the European tradition has been dominated by men. Despite the few revolutionaries of the past such as Artemisia, Vigee Le Brun, and Mary Cassatt, when Georgia O’Keeffe entered the art world in the early 20th Century, it was still white males who dictated the creation, display, and discussion of artwork, with legitimacy and credit seldom bestowed upon female artists. Although most interpretations of her work have been influenced by a masculine, Freudian point of view (one she adamantly disagreed with), O’Keeffe remains one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century, widely regarded as the mother of American modernism and a pioneer of figural abstraction. Taking the sights, sounds, and smells of her world, Georgia O’Keeffe created a brand new experience, one that enveloped the viewer’s every sense, with color bursting across her canvases in a previously unimaginable way. The first artist to paint extremely magnified still-life works, she continued to create figural forms even when complete abstraction had taken over American painting. Though she was insistent that her identity was as an artist above all else, her feminine existence in a world monopolized by masculinity was a contradiction to many critics of the time. Taking the subject of flowers, typically perceived as frail and “feminine”, O’Keeffe confronted this dichotomy, demanding the viewer to examine femininity for what it really is–powerful, bold, and dynamic. She created artworks full of opposites: the flowers she painted were ambiguous, yet clear; contemplative, yet explosive; simplistic, yet sensuous; synesthetic, yet a construct. She painted deserts and cityscapes devoid of living creatures, yet full of the possibilities of life. Through her quiet confidence and refusal to follow trends, both in her personal life and in her artistic endeavors, O’Keefe remained one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century throughout her entire life and beyond. Her marriage to one of the time’s most famous photographers is often an afterthought, as it should be. Georgia was an independent woman through and through; her reputation as a creative powerhouse preceded her.
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