Month / October 2020

by BiSKITs & Gravy

NWKP: Backstory

by S.L. Jordan

1975 Kween’s Port

Nadine entered the cafeteria with her head held high, shoulders back. The picture of confidence, even if her heart was beating 5,000 times a minute. She couldn’t let them see that, they pounced when they smelled fear. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before taking a step, holding her lunch tray steady she walked over to the nearest table with an empty seat. As she flopped down, a noticeable hush fell over the cafeteria. She could feel the tension’s slow ascension up her spine. Nadine looked up to see what could stop a room full of high schoolers in their tracks, and everyone was looking at her. 

Her fork slipped her from her fingers and fell to the table, the clatter seemed never ending, punctuating the silence with its noise. To her right stood a girl holding a tray with a sheepish grin on her face.

“You’re in Inara’s seat” said one of the girls at the table with just enough stank on those words to let Nadine know there could be trouble. To be honest, Nadine hadn’t even noticed the other girls at the table, just the empty seat. Now, that she had it was apparent this was a clique and this was their table. 

She was torn. Did she want to start trouble on her first day as a transfer student in the middle of the school year? Not necessarily, but she also didn’t want to set the tone that she was a punk either.

“Oh -” Nadine started before the beautiful girl standing interrupted.

“It’s fine,” she said in a voice that settled any bad feelings that were stirring around the table. “It’s not like we have assigned seats here” she finished with a chuckle before sitting her tray down and dragging an empty chair from another table over. She sat right next to Nadine. 

“Hi, my name is Inara. What’s yours?”

Nadine kept her head down, trying to gain some composure before she responded. She sometimes stuttered when she was nervous, and her accent became particularly thick.

“Nadine”, she replied, lifting her head to look everyone at the table in the eye.

“Well, welcome to Our Lady of the Bay. Are you new to Kween’s Port?” Inara asked. 

Nadine hurriedly stuffed a portion of the crab cake po’ boy into her mouth, and nodded. She hadn’t decided if she liked Kween’s Port yet, or Our Lady of the Bay – but the school lunch? Was a 10 so far.

…

by BiSKITs & Gravy

Halloween Is Coming

Tony W.

Halloween is two weeks away. This year it falls on a Saturday, a prime party day. The holiday falling on Saturday makes it a weekend event, usually, but this is 2020, not only are we in a pandemic it’s an election year. I can imagine, if not for the pandemic this Halloween would be the celebration to end all celebrations, we would really party like it was “1999”. Alas, this Halloween weekend will for me be a time for horror reads and movies a mix of old and new favorites. 

Favorite Horror Authors:

Victor LaValle

Tananarive Due

Stephen Graham Jones

Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Cherie Priest

A Few Favorite Horror Movies:

Rosemary’s Baby (book and movie)

The Others

Carrie ‘76

Let Me In

It Follows

The Wicker Man ‘73

Cronos

28 Days Later

The Orphanage

Pans Labyrinth

The Dead Zone

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane

Get Out 

Some of these movies are difficult/problematic to watch for a multiplicity of reasons though all worth a watch.

by BiSKITs & Gravy

It’s INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY

By: IO

It’s that day again. That day being reclaimed from a celebration of a genocidal monster, towards recognition of the Indigenous Peoples of this land who shout loud and proud, “WE ARE STILL HERE!”

Because I am in school again, and because it is this damn year, I have no art in me. No stories, no poems, no doodles. I am tired. So here’s a picture of a Dominica Museum exhibit, where they are truly over celebrating Mr. Steal-Your-Land.

Image of Christopher Columbus with text reading, “Everything changed with the coming of Columbus. His main achievement was that he got back to Spain.”

We shouldn’t be remembering Indigenous Peoples just on one day. One way to not tokenize and to contribute to achieving some measure of justice for a vulnerable population is to donate. I confess I need to do more research, but the web is vast, and luckily, other writers have done some of this legwork already. Bustle has an article with some non-profits to donate to and there’s a directory of Native-owned businesses you can shop from.

If you know more Indigenous non-profits, please do share. Donating, volunteering, supporting businesses, sharing information, it’s all just a start. Don’t think you’re done. The work is never done.

by BiSKITs & Gravy

Rules for Orphans

by K. Osorio-Teamer

It’s ok to cry at a funeral. 

It’s ok to laugh at a funeral. 

It’s ok to show up to a funeral hungover.

It’s ok to declare to your brother, “And then there were two,” when you are orphaned by disease. 

It’s ok not to move in with your brother when your mom dies.

It’s ok to say no to your brother.

It’s ok to be selfish. 

It’s ok to demand respect from those you love. 

It’s ok to be mad at your brother.

It’s ok to avoid him.

It’s ok to get nervous when he calls.

It’s ok to distrust your brother.

It’s ok to cry when your brother dies.

It’s ok to miss what you could have had. 

It’s ok to remember him for who he was before tragedy touched your lives. 

It’s ok to pray to him for protection. 

It’s ok to feel alone even when you are surrounded by love. 

It’s ok to feel like you’re next. 

It’s ok to wonder why the people you love are ripped away from you.