From Africa to America: For Flora

POEMS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS, RELIGIOUS AND MORAL (1773) was only the second book of poetry published by an American woman. The 20-year-old author was a slave, taken (according to scholarly consensus) to North America at seven years of age.  In fact, of course, nobody knows for sure when she was born (perhaps 1753) or where (maybe Senegal or Gambia) or even what she was called in her youth. She arrived in Boston aboard the Phillis and was purchased by merchant John Wheatley; and so her “name” became Phillis Wheatley. 

When she was 14 or so she began writing poetry, and by 16 her work began to attract public notice. Because of her gender and caste, she was forced to defend her authorship before the colonial governor, lieutenant governor, and other luminaries. Even after they attested that she had indeed written the verses ascribed to her, she could not get her collected material published in Massachusetts, though well-connected members of the nobility acted as her patrons and secured its publication in England. The book became an international sensation, prompting Voltaire himself to comment that it proved that black people could write poetry. Nevertheless, due to her own situation and the tumult surrounding the American Revolution, she was unable to publish another book before her death in 1784, though her work did continue to appear occasionally in pamphlets and newspapers.

One of her best-known  poems is “On Being Brought from Africa to America”:

   ‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,

   Taught my benighted soul to understand

   That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:

   Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

   Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

   “Their colour is a diabolic die.”

   Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,

   May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.

Nikki Giovanni, on the other hand, trod a very different literary path, publishing numerous volumes of poetry and essays, teaching at several prestigious universities, and winning major awards including 20 honorary doctorates. Named for her mother, Yolande Cornelia Giovanni, Sr., she was born some 190 years after Wheatley, in Knoxville, Tennessee, but raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, until she was 10, at which time she returned to Knoxville to live with her grandparents. 

In 1967, the year she graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in History from her grandfather’s alma mater, Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee, she published her first volume of poetry, BLACK FEELING, BLACK TALK, which sold over 10,00 copies its first year; BLACK JUDGMENT (1968) sold 6,000 in just three months. Together, they established her as one of the most successful representatives of the Black Arts Movement that dominated African-American culture in the 1960s and beyond. 

Her fifth book, THE WOMEN AND THE MEN (1975), featured “Poem for Flora”:

when she was little
and colored and ugly with short
straightened hair
and a very pretty smile
she went to Sunday school to hear
’bout nebuchadnezzar the king
of the jews
and she would listen
shadrach, meshach and abednego in the fire
and she would learn
how god was neither north
nor south east or west
with no color but all
she remembered was that
Sheba was Black and comely
and she would think
i want to be
like that

It is almost as though Giovanni wanted to engage with her literary ancestor Wheatley in a poetical dialectic on the changes in racial attitudes over a pair of centuries of American development.

Both poets opened with a reflection on their youthful introduction to Christian worship. Wheatley claimed it was a “mercy” to be taken from her own “Pagan land” in order to learn that “there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too.” Giovanni seemed to project her psychic self  onto a family friend, Flora Fletcher Alexander, who often babysat for young Nikki. — “she loved clothes. Flora was the sharpest dresser,” she later recalled. Nikki/Flora “went to Sunday school to hear / ’bout Nebuchadnezzar the king / of the jews” and about “shadrach, meshach and Abednego in the fire.” But in the style of the times, before the Romantics began to relax the formalist standards of prosody and semantics,Wheatley mostly confined her remarks to a generality, while Giovanni reflected the Post-Modernist penchant for grammatical laxity and politically charged specificity. The Chaldean ruler Nabu-kudurri-usur II was indeed king of the Jews but only because of his conquest of Judea in 597 BCE; he was portrayed as a foreign oppressor in several books of the Old Testament, including the portion of the Book of Daniel where he cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a golden idol. (Ironically, as we shall see, the Alphabet of Ben Sidra posited Nebuchadnezzar as the son of Solomon and the queen of Sheba, a chronological impossibility.)

Both women expressed their approval of the universalism of the Christian doctrine that even “Negroes, black as Cain / May be refin’d, and join the angelic train” and that “god was neither north / nor south east or west” — though Giovanni insistently added the clarification “with no color but all” to counter Wheatley’s demeaning allusion to God’s punishment of Cain for the murder of his brother Abel by “marking” him, which was often interpreted as giving him a black skin and therefore providing a Biblical justification for racism.

But even in these religious introductory remarks, race was an essential referent. For Wheatley the matter was a subtext, almost parenthetical, a pun on her “benighted soul.” But for Giovanni the blackness took center stage. Flora may have been “colored and ugly with short / straightened hair” (since African-Americans of Flora’s generation “conked” their hair by using lye to straighten their naturally kinky locks. Black nationalist leader Malcolm X claimed that the process “makes you wonder if the Negro has completely lost all sense of identity, lost touch with himself.”) But Flora’s own takeaway from Sunday school was that “Sheba was Black and comely” and Flora/Nikki decided “I want to be / like that.”

The queen of Sheba made only a brief appearance in the Bible, visiting Solomon in order “to prove him with hard questions.” But that cameo role led to her starring in one of the world’s most widespread and protean cycle of legends. She was probably from Saba (modern Yemen); the Sabaeans also had domains across the Red Sea on the Horn of Africa., and the later kingdom of Aksum (ancestral to Ethiopia) was sometimes referred to as Seba. Nevertheless, though history has recorded several Arabic queens, no African ones are known, even though the queen of Sheba has come to be regarded as such.

The literary confusion seems to have begun with the Books of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament, which referred to her as a “queen of the South” from “the uttermost parts of the earth,” At the same time, the historian Titus Flavius Josephus claimed she was a queen of Egypt and Ethiopia.A century later, the Christian theologian Origen conflated the “bride,” the female speaker in the Song of Songs, as the “Queen of the South,” (“I am very dark, but comely,” she proclaimed, or, in the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION, “black and beautiful,” though this translation would have been too late to directly influence the Giovanni poem).

Matthew preached the Gospel in Colchis (modern Ethiopia), and even earlier than that Philip the Evangelist had converted one of Queen Candace’s court officials there, making Ethiopia the site of the oldest Christian church (though “ethiopian” is Greek for “burnt face” and may have referred to Africans in general). The Ethiopians, in turn, seem to have taken particular delight in associating themselves with Biblical traditions. So the wordplay of Origen (conjoined to the comments by Matthew and various Islamic traditions concerning Queen Bilkis, the Arabic version of the queen of Sheba) seems to have been the basis for the Ethiopian national saga, the 14th century KEBRA NAGAST, in which Queen  Makeda visited Solomon, who impressed her with his wealth and wisdom. She converted to Judaism and, on her way home, gave birth to Solomon’s son, Menilek, the ancestor claimed by all the kings of Ethiopia. until the last of them, Haile Selassie, was deposed in 1974. That last reigning descendant of Solomon and the queen of Sheba is regarded by the Rastafari as a divine messianic figure who will lead a future Golden Age of eternal peace, righteousness, and prosperity. (And thus the Rastafari bring the entire process full circle: they adapted their Haile Selassie symbolism from some rhetorical statements made by fellow Jamaican Marcus Garvey, who popularized the pan-African notion of “black is beautiful” and organized various separatist entities in the United States; one of Garvey’s followers was Earl Little, the martyred father of Malcolm X, whose own 1965 assassination sparked the creation of the Black Arts Movement of which Giovanni became a prominent representative figure.)

So, as a leading exponent of the “Black Is Beautiful” sentiment of the 1960s, Nikki Giovanni proudly focused on the fabled African queen of Sheba — “all / she remembered was that / Sheba was Black and comely” — while Phillis Wheatley was meekly apologetic about the way the Christians of Boston viewed her “sable race with scornful eye” because of the “diabolic die” associated with Cain, the world’s first murderer. Despite the commonalities in their two poems, this difference in attitude speaks volumes about how African-American views about the nature of their roles changed dramatically over the course of two centuries.

The Beautiful Nature of Spring

You bloom, spreading far and wide,

The trees in gardens, full of pride,

Your flowers speak no word or sound,

In spring, the beauty does abound.

On the trees, the flowers rise,

Pure white, a sight before our eyes,

They look like snowflakes falling near,

In spring, the beauty is so clear.

The rain falls often, soft and light,

Irrigating crops in sight,

The wind blows suddenly and free,

In spring, the beauty’s all we see.

Nature wakes from its long sleep,

Turning golden, calm and deep,

Peace shines in the sky so bright,

In spring, the beauty fills the light.

After rain, a rainbow shows,

Colors that dazzle, as it grows,

It dazzles eyes with every hue,

In spring, the beauty is renewed.

Poem about the Sunflower

In the field where sky and earth meet,

stands the sunflower — alone, yet not lonely.

It seeks nothing but light,

constantly turning its face toward the horizon.

Its stem is strong and steady,

as if holding the silence of ages within.

Its leaves whisper secrets to the wind,

while roots intertwine deep into the soil.

It does not crave fame, nor attention,

only wishes to absorb every ray,

to be part of something greater —

that invisible conversation of light and life.

When the sun sets, it still stands,

with its head lifted toward the sky,

waiting for a new day, a new chance

to feel the warmth and to grow.

The sunflower is not just a flower,

but a symbol of existence —

an existence that follows the light,

regardless of the shadows that fall.

MUNAVVARA SOLAYEVA – THE OWNER OF SCIENCE AND CREATIVITY

Munavvara Solayeva is the first female PhD holder in philology from Urgench State University. The scholar was born on February 2, 1925, in the city of Khiva. In 1954, after successfully defending her PhD dissertation, she was assigned to the Khorezm State Pedagogical Institute. Munavvara Solayeva was one of the pioneers of this prestigious institution, dedicating her entire career to its development. She was among the first women to boldly travel to Moscow, where she defended her dissertation in Russian on the topic “The Lyrics of Uyg‘un”. She devoted 34 years to scientific and teaching activities at the institute where she began her career.

       In 1993, her monograph titled “Navoi and the Poets of Khorezm” was published. In recognition of her lifelong contributions, academic achievements, and ethical qualities, the university administration established a state scholarship named after Munavvara Solayeva.

      One of her exceptional qualities was her poetic talent. Over the years, her numerous scientific, journalistic articles, and poems covering relevant social and literary topics were published. These works, including poems and ghazals, have been compiled in a collection titled “A Heart in Love with Science”, prepared by poet, writer, and member of the Uzbekistan Writers’ Union, Qurbon Muhammadrizo. The book was published by Ogahiy Publishing House in 2023. The presentation of the book took place at Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhan Beruni in a highly spirited atmosphere. As a student, I also participated in the event, where we expressed admiration for Munavvara Solayeva’s courage and remarkable achievements as a woman. We aspire to become brave, active, and dedicated educators and scholars like her.

         The collection “A Heart in Love with Science” includes Munavvara Solayeva’s journalistic articles on important topics such as “What is Humanity?”, “The Literary Relations of the Two Shores”, “The Sultan of Poetry”, “The Owner of Bright Creativity”, and “The Scholar of Poetry and Art”. It also features her scientific articles such as “One Poem”, “The Pain of Poetry, the Love of Science, the Magic of Art”, “The Spirit of Navoi Protects Me…”, “May Your Flight Be High”, “The Evening Came to My Hut”, “The Tragedy of the Ghazal”, “Navoi’s Traditions in Ogahiy’s Lyrics”, “The Image of Women in “Khamsa” “, and “Navoi’s Spring Melodies”.

         By reading these works, readers gain a deep understanding of the historical period, the life, and the creative path of each literary figure discussed, along with new and comprehensive reflections on their legacies. The collection also presents her heartfelt poems such as “To My Mother”, “My Father”, “Navoi and Ogahiy”, “Fable”, “Ode to Spring”, “The Book”, “The Muse of Inspiration”, “Winter and Spring”, “Black Eyes”, as well as her ghazals with refrains “Are You My Beloved?”, “I Am Devoted”, “I Seek”, “Regret” and her muvaššah (poetic form) “The Teacher”. The poetic garden of her works stirs the hearts and touches the souls of readers, undoubtedly leaving a lasting impression on every admirer of literature.

Iroda Rakhimova Islombekovna was born on August 8, 2005, in the city of Khiva, located in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan. She graduated from the School number 11 in Khiva with a gold medal and was admitted to Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhan Beruni on the basis of a state scholarship. Currently, she is a second-year student at the Faculty of Philology and Arts at the same university. Her poems, short stories, and articles have been published in both national and international journals. She is an active member of the “Mushoira” literary club established at the university and continues her creative work through this platform.

My Mother — The Sun of My Heart

Before I ever saw the world so wide,

You held my hand, a silent, guiding light.

At night, you shone like stars that brightly glide,

Your love — my strength, my soul’s most precious right.

You taught me patience with each passing day,

And bore life’s burdens with unshaken grace.

Within your eyes, I found my secret place —

I’ll never forget your love’s endless ray.

When the world pressed hard upon my soul,

You opened your arms, absorbing my pain.

Though you were burning, you’d never let it show —

For me, you lived, enduring in silence again.

Oh Mother, no words could ever define,

Your love — a river that knows no end.

In my life and soul, you eternally shine,

The only true light my heart can send.

Without you, what’s left in this heart of mine?

Cold nights would burn it with silent cries.

In every storm, your prayer is enough —

Your every word, a star in my skies.

The older I grew, the more I could see:

Each breath you took was a silent sacrifice.

If now I shine like a star in the sky,

Know — my light is just your love in disguise.

Life’s trials were sharp as a sword’s cruel blade,

But you walked beside me like a gentle shade.

In heavy moments, you carried hope’s flame,

Never once saying, “Poor me,” — never in shame.

Now I stand as someone my homeland needs,

Your lessons — the foundation of my soul.

Each of my triumphs, each noble deed,

Is a gift to you, who made me whole.

You are my quiet muse in every day,

The light of truth shines deep in your gaze.

Even in dreams, may you still softly pray —

With you, life blossoms in beautiful ways.

Though fate may pave my path with stone,

The strength I bear is from your heart alone.

In my soul lives a word beyond compare —

Each work I begin starts with “Mother” there.

Turayeva Sadoqat Kahramonovna was born on March 26, 2005 in Gurlan district, Khorezm region. After graduating from school No. 23 in Gurlan district, she studied at the Academic Lyceum of Urgench State University between 2021 and 2023. Currently, she is a 2nd year student at the Faculty of Philology and Arts of Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhon Beruni.

(Young Central Asian woman in a black coat with buttons on the sleeves and a white frilly blouse, seated in a cafeteria with yellow chairs).                                                 

A NEW DAY

Dewdrops dance on leaves, in gardens nestled so deep,
Softly drifting, clouds above sing lullabies in sleep.
Like the scent of a tulip, sorrow lifts from the soul,
While grandmas pray for peace and health, making the people whole.

Grass blades greet us warmly, heads risen in delight,
Listening to the cranes returning, crying through their flight.
In emerald green that charms the eyes, they reach toward the skies,
Sunlight glimmers on each bud like gold in children’s eyes.

Some have lived to see these days, and some have not, it’s true,
But spring still whispers words of joy that gently pass on through.
From parents’ heartfelt blessings bloom joy and inner grace,
And on the sky of fate we see youth’s star take its place.

With spring anew, a brand new day, forget the shadows past,
Let pure intentions simmer like sumalak in the pot at last.
Let kites that soar in skyward flight sweep grief from every heart,
And let us share the blooms of love, together, never apart.

Welcome back, O Spring, to my land! You’ve brought such dazzling cheer,
For the sixteenth time I face you, smiling with eyes so clear.
How many times we’ll meet again, I do not truly know,
But angels built a palace in my soul for you to glow.

Gulmira Ravshonbekova, daughter of Ruslonbek,was born on August 29, 2005, in Khiva city, Khorezm region.Currently, she is a second-year student at Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhan Beruni. She is a recipient of the “Ogahiy Scholarship” and the “Governor’s Scholarship”. Her first collection of poetry and prose, titled “Love for Enchanting Words”, has been published.She is a winner of several international, national, and regional Olympiads and competitions. Gulmira is also a member and certificate holder of the “Kyrgyz Poets and Writers Fund” of the Kyrgyz Republic. Additionally, she represents Uzbekistan in the international organization “National Human Rights and Humanitary Federation”.Her academic and literary works have been published in journals and anthologies in countries such as Germany, the USA, Turkey, Canada, India, Poland, and others.                                                                                             

First of all, we’re sharing the new project of young leader Muslima Olimova. The online platform Muslima Academy is a secular youth-led educational initiative empowering students with digital skills, international opportunities, and career readiness. More information here.

Also contributor Christopher Bernard has work included in the new summer issue of literary magazine Caveat Lector. Secondly, contributor Timothee Bordenave will have his painting Carte a Jouer auctioned off at L’Olympia.

Disabled contributor, lyric essayist, and ALS activist Katrina Byrd suffered hurricane damage to her home and seeks support to rebuild and make ends meet while she’s getting ready to move. Whatever folks can contribute will make a real difference.

South African poet and essayist Abigail George, whom we’ve published many times, shares the fundraiser her book’s press has created for her. She’s seeking contributions for office supplies and resources to be able to serve as a speaker and advocate for others who have experienced trauma or deal with mental health issues.

Also, the Educational Bookshop in Jerusalem, a store that has the mission of peaceful dialogue and education, invites readers to donate new or gently used books (all genres) that have been meaningful to them, with a note enclosed for future readers about why the books were meaningful. (The books don’t have to be about peace or social justice or the Mideast, although they can be). Please send books here. US-based Interlink Publishing has also started a GoFundMe for the store.

Writer and playwright Gina De Vries has been awarded a fellowship to receive professional coaching from the Lambda Literary Foundation for her drama exploring and challenging the “Doom Loop” narrative about American cities. She’s raising a small amount of cash to cover the portion of the cost that she’s expected to cover.

Next, we have a group of young early-career UC Davis academics who hope to attend an important conference in the field of climate science, but need to privately raise cash to replace grant funds that were removed due to changing conditions in the U.S. They’ve been hosting bake sales to make up the difference.

We’re spreading the word about Claire Jones and Amaranthia Sepia and their work through Sista Creatives Rising, creating accessible virtual shows, spotlighting and giving small grants to women of color to pursue their creative dreams. They’ll host a new show this fall, tickets will be available soon, and are inviting people to donate to celebrate Juneteenth! Any donations we receive will help us support our team, speakers and tech needs such as Adobe, Xfinity Emergency Storm Wi-Fi, editing & captioning apps, accessibility support, and more!

Also, we encourage people to consider supporting the Sun Gallery, which is one of the venues hosting the Hayward (California) Lit Hop festival, co-sponsored each year by Synchronized Chaos Magazine. They’re struggling due to the loss of some important grants and facing possible closure, and we would like to give back to the places that have supported us.

Finally, we’re helping out one of the founders of the Secret Spot, a grassroots performance and visual arts collective launched by low-income artists early in their careers. The Secret Spot is temporarily taking a break while she recovers from injuries sustained in a car accident.

Now, for July’s first issue: Hold This World Loosely. These words of St. Paul from two millennia ago remind us that while there is much to embrace in the world, all is impermanent and we can only protect ourselves from suffering by holding on with a loose grasp. However, this flexibility also frees us to appreciate and create positive change.

Eva Petropoulou Lianou describes the freedom found in holding onto life with a loose hand. Yucheng Tao crafts poetry of fleeting moments, consciousness, grief, and beauty. Dustin Pickering expresses his desire to float away with his love, even down to shadows and the abyss. Jason Ryberg’s poetry evokes dreams, memory, and timelessness. Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa writes of gales of wind and emotion and the cultural wisdom embedded in a Native American dream catcher. Graciela Noemi Villaverde writes elegantly of a summer train adventure and the need to let go of some of the past to embrace the future.

Welcoming personal and societal change and growth can be a positive thing. Qobulova Gulzoda honors the forward-thinking Jadid leaders in Uzbekistan’s heritage who promoted education, science, and literacy. Gulshoda Jorabekovna Baxtiyorova offers up patriotic praise for Uzbekistan’s current presidential administration and its efforts to promote education, science, women’s rights, and athletics. Xoliqulova Husniabonu reflects on the bravery and dedication of her nation’s historical heroes. Priyanka Neogi urges people to achieve personal greatness by working hard to develop their talents and growing in their character and respect for others.

As an example of scientific research, Davlatyorova Iqbol outlines the medical causes of and treatments for hyperglycemia. Anorov Sirojiddin outlines approaches to treating urological diseases. Turning to the arts, Federico Wardal points out two films, flautist Andrea Ceccomori’s “Anita” and Joe Mantegna’s “Kamilah the Miracle Filly,” which have crossed national borders to be featured in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Italy.

Oyatillo Jabboraliev highlights the value of student exchange programs for helping young people learn life skills as well as cultural literacy. Mamatova Diyora explores ways to help students stay motivated to learn foreign languages they don’t frequently hear. Munisa Asimova reflects on the work of a caring teacher who helped her achieve her writing dreams, and Sobirjonova Rayhona also offers up a poetic tribute to a dedicated teacher. Rakhmonova Diyorakhon discusses the importance of experiential and participatory education for young people. Muslima Olimova announces the launch of her online startup which aims to help young people around the world learn the skills that will prepare them for work and also outlines the advantages of different backend programming languages.

Ibodullayeva Dilnura analyzes the effects of combining online and in-person education. Surayo Nosirova relates her experience with an environmental education project involving young people in solving today’s challenges. Odina Bahodirova highlights the role of environmental education in promoting future sustainability.

Rushana Raupova celebrates the wonder and joy children can bring to the world and her dedication to benefiting them with her life. Aytuvova Khurshida outlines the importance of integrating the latest psychology findings into children’s education.

Mario Loprete renders urban style into the gallery with concrete tributes to rap and culture. Sabina G’iyosiddinova builds upon and expands traditional Uzbek art styles in her abstract work.

Dr. Jernail S. Anand suggests a positive role for artificial intelligence in enhancing human life and promoting pro-social behavior. Tursunova Ismigul suggests strategies, including technology-based platforms, to improve access to healthcare in rural communities.

Speaking of traditional rural villages, Manik Chakraborty revels in gentle, sunny village life. Holding onto the world with a light touch does not mean giving up one’s love for one’s world, heritage or past. Maftuna Rustamova honors the creative legacy of Uzbek poet Zulfiya Khanim. Dilnura Khahhorova affirms the importance of celebrating the traditional culture of Uzbekistan while Bektosh Kenjayev honors the self-sacrificing military heroism of historical tribal leader Shiroq. Iskandarova Dilnoza affirms her Uzbek history and culture in poetry. Mickey Corrigan reflects on the complex and intriguing life of James Bond actor Ian Fleming. John Dorsey speaks in his poetry to American culture, memory, and reflection.

David Sapp expresses thoughtful wonderment and fascination for art and the natural world. Irma Kurti speaks to excitement, love, grief, the sky’s various moods, and summer breezes. John Thomas Allen offers a mystical ode to the esoteric arts. Alan Catlin probes the uncanny side of nature in his surreal poems. Joseph Ogbonna describes a road trip where tension among fellow travelers arose, then dissipated as everyone explored the calm and quiet Nigerian countryside. Saiprakash Kuntamukkala listens to an elegant rainfall. Mahbub Alam reflects on patience and how nature blooms on its own timescale. Christina Chin and Jerome Berglund exchange tan-renga lines about mowing the lawn, ants crawling, film noir, and many other topics.

Mary Bone remembers outdoor winter celebrations with friends and family. Brian Barbeito reflects on escaping a garish urban landscape by taking refuge by the sea. Don Bormon speaks to the vast natural renewal each year after the monsoon rains.

Chimezie Ihekuna praises the power of love and expresses a child’s tender love for their father. Elbekova Shohsanam thanks her parents for their constant and sacrificial love. Mashxura Fazliddinova Nuriddinovna offers up a tribute to both her parents. Wansoo Kim speaks to centering oneself and listening to the voices of faith and conscience rather than other less meaningful distractions. Turkia Loucif celebrates family, love, nature and creativity. Rhian Elizabeth’s maybe i’ll call gillian anderson, reviewed by Cristina Deptula, speaks to family and romantic relationships and makes space for love, grief, and change.

Sometimes remembrance is tinged with sorrow. Poet Hassane Ajbouh carries forth an ecstatic spiritual love through writing of his departed beloved. Mesfakus Salahin’s poetry evokes the pain of separation from a loved one amid the hot monsoon rains. Duane Vorhees writes figuratively, yet sensually, of romantic pairings of opposites and of people left longing or bereft after someone leaves. Greg Hill sends up images of fall, loss, and departure, contrasted with a lively preteen sleepover.

Paul Murgatroyd evokes death, decay, and the persistent memory of youth. J.J. Campbell speaks to aging, disillusionment, loneliness, frustration, and despair. Taylor Dibbert’s narrator reflects on the long shadow of his beloved dog’s memory. Leslie Lisbona mourns a friendship of many years that went awry after her friend’s move and some off-base comments. Mirta Liliana Ramirez remembers a person she lost by the sea they both loved. Stephanie Elendu’s short story presents three different characters grieving the deaths of school children in a Nigerian truck accident from three different perspectives.

Mykyta Ryzhykh speaks to love, physical passion, death, the extreme trauma of wartime, and the psychological violence of having to hide a big part of himself. Palestinian poet Ahmed Miqdad looks to death as a release from the extreme suffering he sees in Gaza and Eva Petropoulou Lianou interviews him about his writing and his hopes for peace and human rights in the region. Abdulrasheed Yakubu Ladan also speaks to the human suffering in Gaza and the people’s determination to survive. Patricia Doyne lampoons Donald Trump and the state of American politics and the possibility of war. Noah Berlatsky grieves the loss of a loved one to social violence at the hands of laws and lawmakers who said they didn’t belong, reminding us of the human cost of policies.

Yuldasheva Oyshakhon reminds us to cherish our parents while we have them. Bill Tope remembers the unspoken rejection he felt after losing his father. Maja Milojkovic recollects the ways her deceased father made an impact on her life. Dan Flore writes of the lingering effects of divorce on now-adult children. Abigail George reflects on her loneliness and depression when her own mother forgot her birthday, and how she found comfort from looking to writers and the human experience.

Sayani Mukherjee speaks to feeling part of nature’s family, one of the plethora of creatures in a continually changing universe. Mohidil Sultanova evokes the joy, wonder, and community of a vibrant Uzbek street market, where she can feel the pulse of humanity interacting. Mahmudova Sevara uses cuisine as a lens to explore points of intersection between Uzbek and Korean culture. Bazarbaeva Inabat analyzes business connections between Thailand’s media and tourism industries.

Several students cover themes of cultural exchange within the field of linguistics. Hafizullayeva Kamolaxon outlines the influence of Turkish on the Uzbek language. Nigora Abdurazzakova explores cognitive development in children bilingual in Russian and Uzbek. Tojimurodova Latofat discusses ways to help speakers of Russian, Uzbek, and English remember words. Aliasqarova Muslima discusses attitudes towards regional and country dialects in the Uzbek language. Baxtiyorova Feruza’s essay deals with the role of common nouns and verbs in Uzbek and English speech. Berdiyorova Nargiza compares idiomatic expressions in English and Uzbek. Jo’rayeva Aziza explores multimodal teaching methodologies for Uzbek as a foreign language. Odilova Diyora looks into how translation strategies impact the interpretation of culturally specific terms in Uzbek. Sa’dullayeva Dilshoda highlights the role of language preservation in claiming and reclaiming culture and identity. Nasirova Xurshedabonu looks into ways to help students gain confidence in speaking foreign languages.

Sometimes we experience life as if it’s been mistranslated, as if we aren’t sure exactly what’s happening and what to make of our circumstances and senses. Mark Young writes of off-kilter scenes from daily life, observed from a distance. Iduoze Abdulhafiz escorts us through a holographic world of surreal prose. Yongbo Ma recollects a hazy dream about attempting to repair a muddy road, then adding to the confusion.

Christopher Bernard reflects on what it means to age when one never quite fit with one’s own generation.

Ben Nardolilli explores possibility and reality, human minds and our role in the universe, and suggests that we belong here. Wansoo Kim urges us to pull out of selfishness and despair and follow our consciences as guides. Nasir Aijaz perseveres in his life despite society’s many ills. Jasmina Ergasheva expresses resilience and hope for her future. Murodillayeva Mohinur reflects on her determination to rise towards her dreams even amidst obstacles.

Michael Robinson speaks to the new life and healing he has found in Jesus Christ. Eva Petropoulou Lianou expresses a wish for people to choose humanity over greed, and in another piece translated by Sumaya Al-Essmael, urges peace on earth for everyone’s best interest. Azamova Feruza highlights the importance of peace and stability for developing, or all, nations.

Vo Thi Nhu Mai contributes a gentle, tender love story where a young man finally gets up the courage to embrace his first beloved. Isaac Aju crafts a hopeful, second-chance romance. Sushant Thapa’s piece celebrates friendship and art’s power to encourage the soul.

Peter Cherches contributes a humorous poem making a bold claim to its own existence. Svetlana Rostova highlights the power of words and ventures to rewrite her own story. We hope that this issue inspires and frees you to do the same in your own words and media.