Forum Online

alone / together

By Ina Cariño

Poet Ina Cariño reflects on a photograph by Southbound artist Susan Worsham.

As part of the exhibition, Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, we’ve asked artists, writers, and poets to respond to a photograph of their choice in the form of short written pieces.

& the beloveds emerged one by one

By Tyree Daye

Poet and educator Tyree Daye reflects on a photograph by Southbound artist Matt Eich.

As part of the exhibition, Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, we’ve asked artists, writers, and poets to respond to a photograph of their choice in the form of short written pieces.

We Are More Than Our Past

By Michael Ramos

Essayist Michael Ramos reflects on a photograph by Southbound artist Lucinda Bunnen.

As part of the exhibition, Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, we’ve asked artists, writers, and poets to respond to a photograph of their choice in the form of short written pieces.

Solitaire (Solitary)

Writer and poet El’Ja (LeJuane) Bowens reflects on a photograph by Southbound artist McNair Evans.

As part of the exhibition, Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, we’ve asked artists, writers, and poets to respond to a photograph of their choice in the form of short written pieces.

How I Roll: The Nuts and Bolts of Roller Derby

By Kaylee Sciacca

Despite its quickly growing popularity, roller derby is often considered to be obscure or even vintage as far as sports go.

Those of us who didn’t grow up playing roller derby may know the sport from pop culture references that portray derby girls as bruised-up, fishnet-wearing rockabilly queens who touch up their lipstick after punching you in the face. Part of the popular image of roller derby came from what it used to look like in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was first televised. There are, of course, players who generally uphold the stereotype — save for the punching, which is considered illegal contact in the rules of the game.

Writing in the Wake of Charlie Hebdo

By Helen Solterer

Reporter and critic Philippe Lançon published a book about surviving the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.

Part chronicle, part essay, Le Lambeau [Shreds] details all he went through undergoing facial reconstruction during 2015, from the attacks at the beginning of the year to those at the end.

Visionary Aponte: Art & Black Freedom

By Forum staff

The Visionary Aponte: Art & Black Freedom art exhibit takes as its point of departure an extraordinary — and now lost — historical artifact: a “Book of Paintings” created by José Antonio Aponte.

Aponte was a free Black carpenter, artist, and former soldier who was also the leader of an ambitious antislavery movement in Cuba during the Age of Revolution.

A View of Haiti From the American South

By Aasha Henderson

Growing up in rural Louisiana, the deep American South, my community preached strong patriotism, strong Christian beliefs, and strong nativism.

History in school was taught to follow the same narrative: America wins, and America is better.

There and Back Again: Haitian Children in Detention Camps

By Sanha Lim

At the U.S.-Mexico border, 23,000 children have been torn from their parents. The imagery is jarring.

In a facility in McAllen, Texas, immigrants sit in cages like criminals, with one holding as many as 20 children.