Photo by Milan Loiacono I knew it was a problem when the birds started to sing … as I started to get ready for bed. Most everyone in my life has told me I’ll grow out of it; nocturnality is an element of youth that will fade under the strict regularity of a 9-to-5 job. But I’ve done 9-to-5, and it hasn’t gone away; more than that, I don’t want it to. It’s not a question … [Read more...] about Letter From the Editor
Fall 2019: Challenging Perceptions of Light & Dark
My Black is Beautiful: Building Black Pride
Photos by Milan Loiacono Editor’s note: The ability to write one’s own story is a luxury. Society often tries to wrestle the pen away, dictating a narrative that is rarely accurate and often damaging. The incredible women pictured throughout this story — Peace Ikeduba, Olivia Robinson and Heavin Hunter-Hernandez — took back the pen to define for themselves who they are and … [Read more...] about My Black is Beautiful: Building Black Pride
Flipping the Script: Challenging Motifs in Literature and Film
From the opening pages of Genesis to the opening scenes of Western movies, media has traditionally associated light with positivity and darkness with negativity. Across literature and film, authors and directors use literal light and darkness to suggest figurative meanings about characters, plots and themes. Villains sneak in shadows, dwell in dungeons and cloak … [Read more...] about Flipping the Script: Challenging Motifs in Literature and Film
Seeing the Value in Dark
Cemetery flowers in "Dark Spring" | Photo courtesy of Katherine Parsons Out of the darkness, bright tulips bloom. Others wilt and whither. In "Dark Spring," Digital Art Professor Katherine Parsons' art project, she explores how cemetery flowers reflect both life and death. This VR experience for Coaxial Arts in downtown Los Angeles focuses on the relationship between … [Read more...] about Seeing the Value in Dark
Silhouetting Sound: Light and Dark in Music
Art by Jordan Smith. Milan Loiacono contributed to the reporting in this piece. Music has the ability to elicit a wide spectrum of emotions. It can create suspense in a film scene. Evoke nostalgia from a middle school dance. Help someone cry through their first heartbreak. Music as an art form is an experience, a mood, a feeling. Musical styles express … [Read more...] about Silhouetting Sound: Light and Dark in Music