What are the unspoken things you are devoted to and, more importantly, what do they reveal? In this issue, we reach under the top soil and grab at the roots of our cultural beliefs. Devotion isn’t just about loyalty; it’s an examination of habit—a mixture of internalized superiorities and inferiorities, ideologies, and obsessions that influence our identity and choices as media consumers and pop cultural enthusiasts. It’s worth it to take time to think through what and who deserve our devotion—including our own selves.
FEATURES
CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?: The fragility of maternal transition. | Vanessa Mártir
UNDIVIDED STATE: A conversation on feminism and spirituality. | Hosted by Lisa Factora-Borchers
WE ARE NOT YOURS: Black women are supreme but not superhuman. | Jordan McDonald
I LEARNED IT ON YOUTUBE: What online beauty gurus can—and can’t—teach us about sex. | Vanessa Borjon
NEITHER SLAVE NOR PHARAOH: Finding the divine in BDSM. | Randa Jarrar
DISPATCHES
FROM THE GOLDEN AGE: How Hollywood closeted queerness for capital. | Samantha Ladwig
FROM TEXAS: Remodeling the quinceañera for immigration reform. | Emilly Prado
FROM JAPAN: In J-pop, teen dreams become nightmares. | Catherine Komuro
COMICS
DRAWN OUT: Devotion. | Whit Taylor
ADVENTURES IN FEMINISTORY: Dr. Dorothy Brown. | Cynthia Greenlee and Jaz Malone
DEPARTMENT OF EVERYTHING
6 Sports Podcasts to Add to Your Lineup | Britni de la Cretaz
Keyword: Divine Racism | Jordan McDonald
Black Madonna: Deciphering the gospel of Beyoncé | Cate Young
Reproductive Rights Corner—Unlikely Disciple of Abortion: Dr. Willie Parker’s Sacred Work | Dahlia Grossman-Heinze
Starved for Sainthood: The divine hunger of Catherine of Siena | Ann Foster
BITCHLIST
REVIEWS
BOOKS
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death (Caitlin Doughty) by Sonya Vatomsky
The Extra Woman: How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It (Joana Scutts) by Joshunda Sanders
Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir (Amy Tan) by Ilana Masad
The Promise of Patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam (Ula Yvette Taylor) by Najma Sharif
The Floating World (C. Morgan Babst) by Dara Mathis
SCREEN
Supergirl (Directors: Various) by Cate Young
Geeta’s Guide to Moving On (Directors: Phil White and Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke) by Nicole Froio
The Misandrists (Director: Bruce LaBruce) by Sam Riedel
Dalya’s Other Country (Director: Julia Meltzer) by Stephanie Abraham
A League of Your Own (Director: Penny Marshall) by Britni de la Cretaz
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Directors: Various) by Kathleen J. Woods
MUSIC
4:44 (Jay-Z) by Fredrick Salyers
Something to Tell You (Haim) by Karen Muller
Girl Disrupted (Sevyn Streeter) by Chanelle Adams
Superscope (Kitty, Daisy & Lewis) by Nitzan Pincu
Okovi (Zola Jesus) by Christine Capetola
ABOUT THE COVER
Design by Diana Ejaita
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