dear reader,
dear reader,
hello valued reader-
hello valued reader-
it's nice to meet you. I hope this copy of the monitor’s pages are crisp and warm. My name is Lee, i have taken over the monitor from our beloved Rowan. Please bear with any inconsistencies or irregularities in this issue of the zine, we’re figuring it out and trying hard :). We hope to have monthly releases, but you never know… we’ll keep you on your toes. the next due date is October 20th.
it's nice to meet you. I hope this copy of the monitor’s pages are crisp and warm. My name is Lee, i have taken over the monitor from our beloved Rowan. Please bear with any inconsistencies or irregularities in this issue of the zine, we’re figuring it out and trying hard :). We hope to have monthly releases, but you never know… we’ll keep you on your toes. the next due date is October 20th.
as the autumn leaves start to fall, keep your ears and eyes open for that which inspires you. Take a picture. Write a poem. Lay under a tree and feel the roots beneath you. All of this is older than you or I. Remember that. Cherish it.
as the autumn leaves start to fall, keep your ears and eyes open for that which inspires you. Take a picture. Write a poem. Lay under a tree and feel the roots beneath you. All of this is older than you or I. Remember that. Cherish it.
we are looking forward to reading your submissions. Please! Keep them coming. Continue writing and creating so that we can keep this community alive.
we are looking forward to reading your submissions. Please! Keep them coming. Continue writing and creating so that we can keep this community alive.
I see you.
I see you.
staff bios,
staff bios,
Lee ;^) you may find me arm deep in some clay in the ceramics room or wandering aimlessly around Kirksville in search of some deeper meaning. alternatively, i may be loose on the rugby field pretending to know the rules of the game. I may be the one to respond to your emails, but we all know the monitor is run by some higher force than just you or i. (senior ceramics student, pre-MAE)
Lee ;^) you may find me arm deep in some clay in the ceramics room or wandering aimlessly around Kirksville in search of some deeper meaning. alternatively, i may be loose on the rugby field pretending to know the rules of the game. I may be the one to respond to your emails, but we all know the monitor is run by some higher force than just you or i. (senior ceramics student, pre-MAE)
Alex :) Hello there reader. I am unfortunately a senior and a BFA student, so the job prospects in the coming years are looking pretty slim. If anyone wants to hire a 21 year old, average almost graduated college student hmu. Other than that, you may find me at my home (please don’t. I don’t want to see you.) or when I make the walk to campus (once a day). Passionately thinking about the colors swatches on the sims. Open invitation.
Alex :) Hello there reader. I am unfortunately a senior and a BFA student, so the job prospects in the coming years are looking pretty slim. If anyone wants to hire a 21 year old, average almost graduated college student hmu. Other than that, you may find me at my home (please don’t. I don’t want to see you.) or when I make the walk to campus (once a day). Passionately thinking about the colors swatches on the sims. Open invitation.
2
2
submit Words We encourage submissions of original articles, essays, prose, and opinion. Due to space limitations, please limit pieces to 2,400 words. If you would like to publish something longer, please submit it and we’ll try to accommodate your piece. For formatting reasons, please submit all text as an email attachment. Please include a short one or two sentence bio with your submission. Poems Let us know if you have any specific printing or formatting requests. For formatting reasons, please submit all text as an email attachment. Please include your name (real, pseudonym, or anonymous). Visuals We encourage submissions of original art, comics, and photography. Due to publication limitations, our art and photography is printed relatively small and in black-andwhite (except in the online version). Keep this in mind when submitting your piece. If we like your piece enough, it may end up on the cover! Let us know if you don’t want that. Our contributors retain all rights to their works. Submissions may be published online. If you would like your work not to be published online or would like us to remove previously published material, send us an email.
twitter: @trumanmonitor
submit
ads As members of the Kirksville community we love to promote local businesses and organizations. If you’re interested in having an ad in our next issue please email us! Rates Quarter Page $10 Half Page $20 Full Page $40 30% discount for student organizations!
Poems Let us know if you have any specific printing or formatting requests. For formatting reasons, please submit all text as an email attachment. Please include your name (real, pseudonym, or anonymous).
contributors Lee Gardunia p. 10, cover Ms. Magnum O’Puss P. 15 Queen Astra Lesley Huack Celia Battson p.10 Conner Shelton p.9 Goatfoam p. 18, p.23 Brian Henessy Rowan Eric Liemer Mere
Words We encourage submissions of original articles, essays, prose, and opinion. Due to space limitations, please limit pieces to 2,400 words. If you would like to publish something longer, please submit it and we’ll try to accommodate your piece. For formatting reasons, please submit all text as an email attachment. Please include a short one or two sentence bio with your submission.
p. 5, p. 6, p. 4 p. 6 p. 7,
Visuals We encourage submissions of original art, comics, and photography. Due to publication limitations, our art and photography is printed relatively small and in black-andwhite (except in the online version). Keep this in mind when submitting your piece. If we like your piece enough, it may end up on the cover! Let us know if you don’t want that.
p. 8, p. 14, p. 16, p. 19 p. 20 p. 22
Our contributors retain all rights to their works. Submissions may be published online. If you would like your work not to be published online or would like us to remove previously published material, send us an email.
contact us
contact us
email: trumanmonitor@gmail.com website: trumanmonitor.com facebook: the monitor
email: trumanmonitor@gmail.com website: trumanmonitor.com facebook: the monitor 3
twitter: @trumanmonitor
ads As members of the Kirksville community we love to promote local businesses and organizations. If you’re interested in having an ad in our next issue please email us! Rates Quarter Page $10 Half Page $20 Full Page $40 30% discount for student organizations!
contributors Lee Gardunia p. 10, cover Ms. Magnum O’Puss P. 15 Queen Astra Lesley Huack Celia Battson p.10 Conner Shelton p.9 Goatfoam p. 18, p.23 Brian Henessy Rowan Eric Liemer Mere
p. 5, p. 6, p. 4 p. 6 p. 7, p. 8, p. 14, p. 16, p. 19 p. 20 p. 22
3
astrology.
astrology.
Queen Astra 4
Queen Astra 4
poetry.
poetry.
Lee Gardunia Queen Astra
Lee Gardunia
5
5
the biweekly brain re-wiring
the biweekly brain re-wiring
im writing poems in my head in the zen moments lukewarm coffee tolerable in a frigid office my docs and the crunchy leaf symphony genuine kindness from strangers
im writing poems in my head in the zen moments lukewarm coffee tolerable in a frigid office my docs and the crunchy leaf symphony genuine kindness from strangers
i am leaning into gratitude protection from apathy intention to connect writing moment-poems re-wiring presence in my mind
i am leaning into gratitude protection from apathy intention to connect writing moment-poems re-wiring presence in my mind Lesley Huack
Lesley Huack
Uneasy
Uneasy
My wide open throat takes in what you could not noises of cars and mouse clicks something does not sit with my stomach
My wide open throat takes in what you could not noises of cars and mouse clicks something does not sit with my stomach
mother and son can only play inside the house What surrounds is cork poke and pierce and soak I’m pinned against the concrete
mother and son can only play inside the house What surrounds is cork poke and pierce and soak I’m pinned against the concrete
if my esophagus was longer, would u hear my laughter?
if my esophagus was longer, would u hear my laughter?
Ms. Magnum O’Puss
6
Ms. Magnum O’Puss
6
The Petroglyphs
The Petroglyphs
A thousand years ago, a man stood outside a town not-yet-made on a lake not-yetmade, and considered the fullness of the trees. Maybe he was alone, maybe there were others, men, women, and children. They carved out instructions on the seasons of the deer, the fish, the spirits of the water. The instructions were not made for modernity, contemporary lives in a town been-named, who cannot stand in the same place as the man because of the lake been-named, because it would be the same as taking a shit in a church after all the worshippers have gone home. We think the instructions were a survival aid, but they didn’t say anything about us, the church-shitters.
A thousand years ago, a man stood outside a town not-yet-made on a lake not-yetmade, and considered the fullness of the trees. Maybe he was alone, maybe there were others, men, women, and children. They carved out instructions on the seasons of the deer, the fish, the spirits of the water. The instructions were not made for modernity, contemporary lives in a town been-named, who cannot stand in the same place as the man because of the lake been-named, because it would be the same as taking a shit in a church after all the worshippers have gone home. We think the instructions were a survival aid, but they didn’t say anything about us, the church-shitters.
Minutes ago, a man stood outside Kirksville beside a lake, beneath a tin roof. A quiet space for a cage. The instructions, carved into the sandstone, are partitioned with steel cables. There are symbols, animals. And then the shit, scratches made with pocket knives: Kat loves Hunter, PENIS. Modernity is not allowed past the cables anymore. Shitty and brainless, they guffawed as they scratched their weakness into the soft sandstone. The survivor’s instructions were made for men, women, and children who would become men and women, who stood on a lake not-yetmade. People who could still consider the fullness of the trees. That time has passed us.
Minutes ago, a man stood outside Kirksville beside a lake, beneath a tin roof. A quiet space for a cage. The instructions, carved into the sandstone, are partitioned with steel cables. There are symbols, animals. And then the shit, scratches made with pocket knives: Kat loves Hunter, PENIS. Modernity is not allowed past the cables anymore. Shitty and brainless, they guffawed as they scratched their weakness into the soft sandstone. The survivor’s instructions were made for men, women, and children who would become men and women, who stood on a lake not-yetmade. People who could still consider the fullness of the trees. That time has passed us.
Celia Battson
Celia Battson
7
7
Stop It, Get Some Help (A Diatribe)
Stop It, Get Some Help (A Diatribe)
To the suck-up sycophant aping the style
To the suck-up sycophant aping the style
of your idol. Stop it. You’re not going to win
of your idol. Stop it. You’re not going to win
his good graces by being a copycat.
his good graces by being a copycat.
He’ll see right through your suave grin
He’ll see right through your suave grin
and feigned joy, call you out
and feigned joy, call you out
for the derivative hack you are,
for the derivative hack you are,
no matter how much you kiss
no matter how much you kiss
his feet with your moist, puckered lips.
his feet with your moist, puckered lips.
You may as well save
You may as well save
your spittle to clean the floors,
your spittle to clean the floors,
cause that’s all you will ever amount to
cause that’s all you will ever amount to
if you keep up like this.
if you keep up like this. Connor Shelton
8
Connor Shelton
8
Observations at 3 AM
Observations at 3 AM
I. Awake
I. Awake
The sweat drops glisten down my forehead
The sweat drops glisten down my forehead
as I rip the sheets from my scrawny frame.
as I rip the sheets from my scrawny frame.
It’s been hours since I turned out the lights and
It’s been hours since I turned out the lights and
In that time, the room went from pitch black to dim grey.
In that time, the room went from pitch black to dim grey.
Soon, it will bloom into a boring blue. I need only keep
Soon, it will bloom into a boring blue. I need only keep
my eyes open to see it unfold. To watch
my eyes open to see it unfold. To watch
the world join me in this state. Awake.
the world join me in this state. Awake.
II. Alive
II. Alive
The fridge hums and whirs at this unknown hour,
The fridge hums and whirs at this unknown hour,
no doubt abused by years of service. The number
no doubt abused by years of service. The number
of people who have used this machine is unknown,
of people who have used this machine is unknown,
but it must have been great, for the inside is tarnished
but it must have been great, for the inside is tarnished
and scuffed, the thin plastic peeling apart. I shudder
and scuffed, the thin plastic peeling apart. I shudder
knowing that I have left food uncovered in that cesspit
knowing that I have left food uncovered in that cesspit
of community. Bacteria, germs, and mold.
of community. Bacteria, germs, and mold.
All festering on my leftovers.
All festering on my leftovers.
III. Aware
III. Aware
Littered across the room are empty boxes, tattered bags,
Littered across the room are empty boxes, tattered bags,
and soiled shorts. There are specs of crumbs caught in my carpet,
and soiled shorts. There are specs of crumbs caught in my carpet,
the thick tufted rug that sits atop the patterned maroon which
the thick tufted rug that sits atop the patterned maroon which
covers the floor. I’ve tried to sleep on it several times now,
covers the floor. I’ve tried to sleep on it several times now,
and as I consider the firm floor once more, I ask myself
and as I consider the firm floor once more, I ask myself
Why?
Why?
Connor Shelton
Connor Shelton 9
9
“Red Temple”
“Red Temple” Eighteen floorson the box was clear The message Where awake at 2ato’clock Leave you the packages the doorin the afternoon
The message on the box was clear Leave the packages at the door
Warming yourselfwon’t by theopen fiery glow of hellfire But the elevator InThere’s your red temple of Gamer a sign attached with Stink tape
But the elevator won’t open There’s a sign attached with tape
Where you watch gross porn and pick at acne scabs “Out of Order!” I What will hate you I die. about theuntil packages?
“Out of Order!” What about the packages?
On theare eighteenth They so heavyfloor I knock, And mysize clipboard Mustsmiling, I stack hand each over one by
They are so heavy Must I stack each one by size
To be usher signedthem by the woman And up elderly the stairs by hand? Who ordered a miniature Leaving the dolley aside?kitchenette for her grandson Ascend eighteen flights of stairs to find Who loves Ratatouille The lazy, bloated wurm, a less-than-beast, I tell her to have a great day Which sits at its desk chair And make my way down the stairs. Awash in the glow of its desktop computer
And usher them up the stairs by hand? Leaving the dolley aside? Ascend eighteen flights of stairs to find The lazy, bloated wurm, a less-than-beast, Which sits at its desk chair Awash in the glow of its desktop computer Ordering heavy packages from Amazon
10
While just outside its door there is
Ordering heavy packages from Amazon Celia Battson While just outside its door there is
A piece of copy paper taped to the elevator
A piece of copy paper taped to the elevator
“Out of Order!”
“Out of Order!”
What a devil, a torturer, a skin-eating pestilence!
What a devil, a torturer, a skin-eating pestilence!
I curse most foully.
I curse most foully.
You, The One Who Makes Me Carry These Packages
You, The One Who Makes Me Carry These Packages
Eighteen floors
Eighteen floors
10
Eighteen floors
Eighteen floors
Where you awake at 2 o’clock in the afternoon
Where you awake at 2 o’clock in the afternoon
Warming yourself by the fiery glow of hellfire
Warming yourself by the fiery glow of hellfire
In your red temple of Gamer Stink
In your red temple of Gamer Stink
Where you watch gross porn and pick at acne scabs
Where you watch gross porn and pick at acne scabs
I will hate you until I die.
I will hate you until I die.
On the eighteenth floor I knock,
On the eighteenth floor I knock,
And smiling, hand over my clipboard
And smiling, hand over my clipboard
To be signed by the elderly woman
To be signed by the elderly woman
Who ordered a miniature kitchenette for her grandson
Who ordered a miniature kitchenette for her grandson
Who loves Ratatouille
Who loves Ratatouille
I tell her to have a great day
I tell her to have a great day
And make my way down the stairs.
And make my way down the stairs.
Celia Battson
Celia Battson
11
11
“Concepts”
“Concepts”
A Diner called Europe
A Diner called Europe
Plane that only Serves Diet Coke
Plane that only Serves Diet Coke
Train Hummus
Train Hummus
Living inside an old church
Living inside an old church
Trey M.
Trey M.
THIS COULD BE YOUR AD SPACE!
THIS COULD BE YOUR AD SPACE!
YOURS!
YOURS!
(more info on page 1 xoxo)
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(more info on page 1 xoxo)
12
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca
Life is mostly rats, roaches.
Life is mostly rats, roaches.
Over breakfast, on a mat my laugh riot tobacco smoke “going loco”
Over breakfast, on a mat my laugh riot tobacco smoke “going loco”
The power of suggestion; shamanic spirits recall the cancerous tumor, counting on a prescription of flowers.
The power of suggestion; shamanic spirits recall the cancerous tumor, counting on a prescription of flowers.
Insights gleaned from burning delirium To heal him. Spirits watch a world turned into a machine. The river sings a chorus of voices.
Insights gleaned from burning delirium To heal him. Spirits watch a world turned into a machine. The river sings a chorus of voices.
What he knew, we needed to believe.
What he knew, we needed to believe.
Come to find some deeper symphony, A fool’s myopic focus. A vision that legs, rib cage, skull, can somehow protect this forest.
Come to find some deeper symphony, A fool’s myopic focus. A vision that legs, rib cage, skull, can somehow protect this forest.
Lee Gardunia
Lee Gardunia
13
13
art.
art.
Algorithmic Tension
Algorithmic Tension
Goatfoam
14
Goatfoam
14
Ms. Magnum O’Puss
Ms. Magnum O’Puss
15
15
16
16
Brian Henessy
Brian Henessy
@really large
@really large
17
17
art.
art.
Subconsciente Colectivo
Subconsciente Colectivo
Goatfoam 18
Goatfoam 18
Rowan
Rowan
19 19
20
20
Eric Leimer
Eric Leimer
21
21
mere
22
mere
22
Archangel
Archangel
mere
Goatfoam
Goatfoam 23
23
24
24
25
25