Tag: nonfiction

Curating Death

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by Diana L. Gustafson

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“What’s death got to do with it?” Our museum tour guide grins as she makes the irreverent reference to Tina Turner’s best-selling hit. Patty knows how to grab the attention of Gen X tourists clustered around her in the grand centre block of Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum. In a former life, she was probably everyone’s favourite high school music teacher.

Patty leans in. “Death simultaneously intrigues and repels us.” I know she’s speaking to me. I signed up for the afternoon tour because I was curious about burial rituals practised in ancient times. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Easier than facing tough questions haunting my messy life. I soon discover that each pause on the tour unearths relics of my struggles to make sense of love and death.

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French Press

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by Megan Nicholson

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I asked for this reality of living on my own, alone. Being alone means you are solely responsible for your quality of life, with no one else to rely on. And goddamn, I really need to clean these dishes. They’ve been sitting there for a week, and god knows there’s plenty more around this damn apartment that needs to be washed. I did the first half of the dishes yesterday; now I need this second half done so I can clean out Pepper’s litter tray. The poor thing’s open bathroom is filled with interwoven fur and hay and pellets. There’s so much to get done, and there’s still four hours before I need to get to bed and wake up for work tomorrow.

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The Letter Contract of the “Civilised”

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by Roukia Ali

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“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” – George Orwell, “1984”

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Before you are to be welcomed into the ranks of us Civilised people, we ask that you review the criteria of your adherence below. Failure to abide by and/or blatant infractions committed in regards to these articles will not go unpunished. Know that in either case we are just, good, peaceful people. We weigh all matters impartially, as is the responsibility of our faculty as the supreme holders of power. Yet to ensure the order by which these operations are made possible, we hold you in writing and in action to the same regard of compliance and critical thought.

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Am I too old to start?

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by Rossana Segovia

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The only thing I could see was the little flames dancing in between my mom’s hands.

In a living room full of darkness, the loud voices of my family were the main focus, singing an uncoordinated attempt of “Happy Birthday” while my mom, with a sweet smile, placed the big white cake in front of me, I stared at it for a long minute while my aunts filled their camera rolls with blurry pictures of my lost eyes, counting the number of candles firmly fixed on the cream, an amount big enough to make me worry about my achievements in life.

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Miniscule Creatures; Colossal Impacts

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by Quinn Ryszka

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A flash of black with orange siding inches its way across the forest floor in Malaysia. An unusual sight that is almost instantly recognizable to anyone fortunate enough to have learned of this strange creature. However, it is also a new sight for many. Being initially discovered only 200 years ago, having its male counterpart discovered close to 100 years ago, and research into its diet still ongoing, the Trilobite Beetle was hiding right under our noses for around 47 million years. Believed to be a detrivore, this beetle may be part of one of the most exciting categories of insects. The bugs that rely on this unusual diet of decomposing organic matter may be small, but their impact is large. With only 35 species of insects classified as detritivores, these helpful critters get to work and take up one of the most important roles in our ecosystem: decomposition!

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