On a priori truth and looking at the moon.  By Duda Kovarsky Rotta Illustration by Justin Chen Read while listening to Billie Holiday's I’ll Be Seeing You.  Ever since I spent a semester reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason for class, that Prussian virgin's words have loitered in my mind. The thick Critique  weighed heavy on my bag from class to class, and on my peregrinations to see the woman I love.  Over the course of our medium-distance New York-Boston relationship, we

How to drink from the heart. By Iris Eisenman Illustration by Justin Chen In anticipation of a date, I watched my friend, who never smokes, tuck a cigarette into her purse. When I asked her why, she told me it was her first date routine. Something about the small ritual gave her a comfortable distance from the moment, like someone else was experiencing the night in her stead. I immediately recognized her desire for a switch to be flipped, for romance to exist in a compartment

Worshipping our dark (roast) Lord.  By Maia Zasler Illustration by Justin Chen Double, double toil and trouble, latte burn and mocha bubble. All hail coffee, our dark Lord !  Dearest Fellow Worshipper,  There is no escape from the alluring powers of Keurig grounds or the mystical steam of the French press. If you just thought to yourself, Who, me ? I don’t drink coffee!  while a self-satisfied smile settled on your face, I’ll be the first to break the news: The sentiment appl

Revisiting the erotic thriller.  By Neda Ravandi Illustration by Justin Chen In July I was obsessed with James Spader. Houston heat meant long, sun-soaked afternoons, which I’d spend on my bed, laptop open to a sketchy movie site when the humidity got too unbearable for tanning by the pool. So, my Halloween began in the summer, when I watched David Cronenberg’s Crash,  a decision prompted not by an interest in cars or stomach-churning violence, but more so James Spader. After