NOVUS PILOT ISSUE
spring SKIN green
ORCHID
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
& SHORT FICTION BY
COLLEEN STINCHCOMBE
LILIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHY LILLIANREID.COM PORTLAND
01 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
NOVUS LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Thank you for taking a moment to open this magazine! This is the pilot issue of my digital magazine NOVUS, an art, lifestyle and literary rag.
inspired and motivated every day.
I would like to proceed first off with a call for submissions. I want to see your best work and hope to fit as much amazing content as I can into each issue.
NOVUS issues will be themed, usually in the form of a specific color, and it will be a quarterly publication for the time being.
So, after a life changing decision and a big move up to Oregon, NOVUS was born.
Advertising space is available to I will publish what I love. I will share those interested, just email us stories, poems, art, photography, at novus.staff@gmail.com for ad illustrations, rants, cartoons, and specs. whatever else comes my way that I adore. Profit and profit sharing Thank you for stopping by! with contributors will come down the line, first to get some peepers on the pages. LCR NOVUS started as a way to keep me distracted on days when I was feeling down at my creative killing magazine job in Arizona - it was a way to dream big and keep me Editor -in- Chief / Publisher
03 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
CONTENTS
07
NOVUS
P. 07 P. 15 P. 27 P. 35 P. 43
15
35
GREEN ORCHID SPRING SKIN HOT PALOR OLIVE & WHITE UNIFORM MORAL ATTENTION
25
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES ISSUE #1 YELLOW
• Photo and art submissions please send 4 - 6 lo-res / 72 dpi images or a link to your online portfolio to the email below. If chosen, we will email you to request hi-res files. Please take into consideration how images or art will flow as a 4 to 8 page layout • Written work should be sent in .doc format, maximum of 2,000 words. • If you are emailing us a question please write “question” in the subject line to get a more speedy response.
Deadline May 30, 2014 novus.staff@gmail.com
Ready. Set. Submit! 05 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
I SS U E 0 1
Y E L LO W S U B M I SS I O N
DEADLINE M AY 3 0 2 0 1 4
green Orchid PHOTOS / COOPER REID
07 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
MODEL / GREEN ORCHID
09 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
11 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
13 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
spring SKIN PHOTOS / LILLIAN REID MODEL / RACHEL B. LOCATION / PORTLAND
15 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
17 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
19 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
21 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
23 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
25 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
HOT palor PHOTOS / LILLIAN REID MODEL / JUSTINE ROSE LOCATION / ARIZONA
27 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
Q 29 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
31 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
JULIE
SCHUBERT Weaver . Photographer . Eco Printer
tremblinginsidethecocoon.wordpress.com
33 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
OLIVE & white PHOTOS / LILLIAN REID MODEL / PERLA LOCATION / ARIZONA
35 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
37 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
39 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
41 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
UNIFORM
MORAL
ATTENTION BY COLLEEN STINCHCOMBE
43 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
You and George are moving to California but not for Annie. Annie is living in San Diego. She posts pictures
A
of herself leaning into men at clubs on Facebook and the beach just ll you need is
makes her look more beautiful. You
sex,
money,
are moving to Tahoe. You can’t stand
and cars. You.
the Tucson sun anymore, all heat and
All those other
no winter. You need a place where
crazy fuckers,
the weather feels less ironic. George
they play with
is dreaming of snowboarding and
fire and love
you are dreaming of flannel blankets
and they get
and fireplaces and an excuse to be
burned, like with Annie. Annie, whose
cold forever.
birthday card you never gave her is tucked inside your copy of The Great
No. CORRECTION: You think of snow
Gatsby as a reminder that this is what
babes taking off their long johns and
love gets you. Annie, who has moved
crawling into your fire-lit room. You
to California after sleeping in your
let them stay until morning because
bed for her last three weeks in town.
walking home in the cold night is cruel,
Annie, who watched football like
even for you. You think of chains on
a frat boy but had a face like Miss
the tires of your GT-R. You think of the
America. You have stopped drinking
stocks you’ll trade on chilly mornings,
Budweiser. It tastes too much like
the cash you can bring in if you can
celebratory sex, and you miss her.
figure out how to refocus. You try not
to think of the coastal route you could
woman and you being a man and
take to SoCal.
the ways in which your bodies could meet each other.
Your buddies from work have set up a going away party. Jasmine, who you
Next to George, Jasmine is your
call your bro ‘cause she’s been dating
closest friend. You wonder sometimes
some guy for the last ten years (so you
what would have been different if
can’t hit on her), is going to be there.
you could have solved Annie’s body
Normally the only time you see her is at
for X, too.
work, or when you and George invite her to brunch the days her boyfriend
When you and George get to the
works in the morning. Jasmine, to you, is
party, which is at Johnny’s house,
a case study in gender politics. You know
George goes out back to smoke
she has great tits and a curvaceous ass
weed. Johnny: new kid at work who
but you don’t put your arm around
is so awkward that it makes you want
her waist the way you would with
to puke but his house is convenient.
other girls. You know her body like
Your coworkers come up and hug you
people memorize math equations:
and make chit chat about Cali and
they don’t fumble in your stomach or
snowboarding. “Where you gonna fist
pump your blood faster. With Jasmine
pump out there in nowheresville?” They
you talk about politics and Gatsby
ask. Ha-ha.
and parenting techniques for children you don’t want. George tries to talk
You move into the kitchen where a
to her about cars. She tries to talk
breakfast bar opens up into the living
to him about reading. With Jasmine
room. The bar is covered in bottles of
you don’t think about her being a
booze and soda. You grab a plastic
45 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
cup and pour yourself Captain and
or grilled onions. Some of them have
knock-off Coke. As you grab some ice
decidedly become fuckable. You
out of the freezer, you think of Annie
think: goodbye sex is great sex. Annie
and how she only ever liked ice when it
had taught you that. Jasmine sees
was crushed.
George come in from outside and runs up to hug him. They start to chat.
When you turn around Jasmine is
You spot one of the hostesses, looking
waving at you from the wall in the living
much less demure than usual, and go
room. She is wearing a tight black dress
to talk to her.
that makes her not look like herself. You move through the sweaty bodies.
These are the things you are sure
Jasmine wraps her arms around your
about. Then the images blur, and there
neck and yells “Adam!” You smile and
are girls and girls and shots and girls,
say hi and say, “So you’ve already
but no bedrooms, no quiet hallways.
started drinking, huh?” and she yells
You think you hear George telling you
back, “Don’t judge me!” and laughs.
to leave but you don’t. All of these people here to say goodbye to you. It is
The girls from work are dressed up
late, or early, and someone yells at you
and out of their work clothes, the stupid
that Jasmine needs you, and they take
black polo, the long black apron. You’re
you outside where Jasmine is leaned
usually working Saturday nights, and
against the garage door. Her shoes are
so you never see them like this. They
next to her, her feet straight out ahead,
are wearing dark makeup and have
and her neck seems to be unable to
curled their hair. Some girls you don’t
keep her head from lolling back and
recognize, as if they’ve painted on new
forth. It is cold, and the chill makes you
faces. They don’t smell like French fries
feel more sober than you are.
“Whoa, chick, what’s wrong?” you say, and Jasmine holds up the phone in her right hand. Now you can see she is crying.
“He’s not answering his fucking phone,” she says. “He’s supposed to pick me up.”
You like her boyfriend, Nick. You remember you made a joke about his last name being Carraway when you met him and he got it and he laughed. You don’t hang out but you’ve seen the kind of force field that Nick’s body language puts around Jasmine, the kind that says I’ve got you, so you say, “It probably died or something. Let’s just get you a cab.” You sometimes wonder if it would be too weird to ask Nick what it’s like, if you ever miss a fresh body and no baggage. How you trust a person for that long. “I’m cold,” she says, so you tell her to go back inside. “No, too loud. Too loud.” She is shivering.
47 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
“Well, here. You can sit in my car,”
George is fucking around saying that
you say. You start to feel cold, too.
he needs to capture the “memories”
You walk down the road a little bit
and now you have a panoramic view
where your car is parked on the side
of your living room and one picture of
of the street. You remember the way
you and Annie. You’re both looking at
that Annie had screamed when she
George like he’s an idiot, and Annie
first saw it, BMW Z4, and you lit up. A
is leaned against you. You can’t see
sleek silver, she’d always wanted a car
it, but she was wearing the thin gold
where people could look at you and
chain you’d given to her, a circle
just know. You’d shown her the speed
with an “A” engraved. She wore it
of it, 0 to 100, on a long stretch of road
with everything.
in Tucson when the traffic was gone. Jasmine has leaned her seat back You help Jasmine in the passenger
and her eyes are closed but she is
seat, put her shoes on the floor, and
not still. Her black dress has slid high
get in the driver’s side. You pull out
up her legs. When she turns on her
your phone and call the cab, though
side, her tits come close to falling out
you can’t remember the address and
of her dress. You haven’t seen her
have to give him the cross streets.
like this. You want to tell her about Annie and the birthday card in your
On the background of your phone
Gatsby book and explain that love
is a picture of you and Annie that
is an egregious thing. You want to
you keep meaning to delete but
say: statistically your car will let you
haven’t. It’s from the last week she
down less often than a relationship.
lived with you, before she moved to
You want to say: money can buy you
SoCal. You’re both on the couch and
experiences and service and cars.
You think: why would I only want to fuck one girl when I could fuck ten?
You want to say all of these things and have Jasmine beat you up over it, to tell you there is more to you than that. You want another drink, afraid your buzz is fading. You want to get mad at her instead of yourself. But Jasmine is out, and tomorrow you leave for California. Jasmine looks like the girls whose clothes you take off so easily. You try to think of the math equation of her body, the one that lets you see it without wanting to touch it. And then you think: why? You think of how stupid it is for Jasmine to think you give two shits about anything else. You think of how stupid you are for giving a fuck about Annie. Annie Annie Annie. You remember asking Annie to stay. You remember waiting for her to ask you to go with her. You think of the one time she answered your Skype call and how easy it was for her to look away.
49 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
You reach your left hand over and
You lift your body up and try to move
put it on Jasmine’s hip. Her body is
onto Annie’s seat. It’s awkward, your
warm and you think of how badly you
body too large for this maneuver. You
want to be close to it. She turns herself
fit your knees, barely, on either side of
onto her back and your hand slips onto
her hips. You lean your head down and
her lower stomach. You move closer
lay it on her chest. She is moving, still
to the edge of the car seat, up until
asleep, trying to get comfortable. You
the clutch blocks your way. You move
think about Nick, Jasmine’s boyfriend,
your right hand and put it at her collar
this guy who has stuck around for ten
bone. You wish you could see yourself
years. You wonder if he has ever laid his
the way that she does. You think: let’s
head there, like you. You kiss her neck,
trade places. Jasmine can be aimless
soft. And then, you’re not sure why –
for a while and you can have your
yes you are, you just hate yourself for it
shit together. You reach your right
– you reach your hand down and put
hand and run it across her cheek, to
it in Jasmine’s underwear. You put your
her collarbone. You think about how
fingers inside her.
you’d never been able to think of Jasmine as sexy. You slide it over her
It is only a moment, and you feel her
chest, cupping one of her tits. Your
tense up, her loose body suddenly
side is hurting from the awkward angle
stiff. You look up at her face, Jasmine,
that it takes to balance on your seat.
and her eyes are wide and staring at
All you really want is to be her skeleton.
you and she is so full of fear. You take
You think if you get close enough you
your hand out, quick, you open the
can disappear inside of her, hide from
door and get out of the car. You start
everything, from Annie and George
walking down the street, there are
and winter Tahoe and warm Arizona.
lights coming up behind you. You put
your hand to your head. You can smell
last of your unpacked shit into Hefty
her there, and you want to fucking
bags and wait for the moving truck to
puke. You hear Jasmine get out of the
save you.
car and her footsteps are quick. You turn around to look at her but she is
In the first picture Annie posted
waving at the cab you have called.
when she moved she is smiling. Her
She doesn’t have her shoes, and she’s
skin is a little more tan and the flash
having trouble standing. You think
from the camera whitens her pupils.
of helping her, and then you want to
She’s wearing the dress she wore the
puke again.
first night you went out together, a purple-black skin hugging killer, and
She gets in the cab, and you walk
already she has taken off the gold
back to your car. You drive home. You
necklace and wrapped some surfer’s
scream. You think of Jasmine telling
arm around her neck instead.
Nick. You think of her not telling Nick. You don’t know which is worse.
When George climbs into the moving truck you climb in next to him. He says,
When you wake up it is Sunday.
Dude, who’s going to drive the BMW?
Early. Before you move – your back still
But all you can think about are Jasmine’s
sunk into the mattress, none of your
shoes in the passenger side and how
muscles alert -- you feel angry. You
many bad things you had easily driven
think of all girls who would have gone
yourself to.
home with you why did you fall over Jasmine? You think of Gatsby floating
Colleen graduated from Arizona State
in his pool. You get up and throw the
University with her B.A. in Creative Writing
51 | NOVUS | PILOT ISSUE
PHOTO / COOPER REID MODEL / GREEN ORCHID
FIN