Parley Staff Picks: Editor in Chief, Camille Liptak
We’ve received a number of exceptional submissions, and Parley’s Editor in Chief, Camille Liptak has picked some of her favorites (in no particular order).
When She Realized the Universe Was on Her Side by Lache S.
Man, oh man do I love this poem and all of Lache S.’s poems (they’re in our faculty works section, The Nearby Universe). “When She Realized the Universe Was on Her Side” reads like an ecofeminist creation myth. Lache S. tells such a picturesque story about the universe, sea, sky, and Mother earth. Her words will move you. My favorite line: “‘Gaia,’ they introduce themselves, and she melts into mud/before her feet become leaf, digging furiously beneath/concrete streets in hopes to finally breathe.”
Orange Sherbet and Lemon Ice by Alexandra Hall
Ugh, this piece captures exactly what it feels like to pine after your first summer love. But don’t let the title fool you into thinking this is a sappy romance tale: Hall bravely tackles adolescent heartache, regret, and chronic pain in this pithy-yet-poignant nonfiction piece. Favorite lines: “With the soft pop of the syringe sanitary top, I am forced back. I can hear the doctor talking, but I can’t decipher his words.”
A Selection of Poems by Katie Greene
These poems are evocative and stirring, and out of the five published in this collection, there’s at least one (if not more) that you are fated to fall in love with. Greene is one of a handful of authors who submitted multiple poems, and because they were just so good, we had to publish them all.
The Children of Bolling Air Force Base by Charlotte Kwong
Kwong has been published in Parley before, but this piece is different from her other pieces. She tells a whimsical, memoir-esque story about the children of soldiers and how they enjoy playtime together on the Bolling Air Force Base. Each time I read this piece I smile.
2020 Academic Essays
Rarely do I ever enjoy reading undergraduate research essays (since, as a student, I’m always writing them), but we received quite a few impressive academic pieces that are as well- researched as they are creative and actually fun to read. They also showcase the amazing research skills of PPCC’s students. My top three academic picks:
- African Jazz Dance and its Global Influence by Lyla Wood
- La Bestia: Humanitarian Crisis in the South by Oscar Mata
- Umoja: Paving The Way For Women’s Rights by Erin Amos
Feature Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
