From Our Pages: “Making Friends with Midge,” an essay on your best friend and Barbie’s. By Susann Cokal.
“Midge was, as all Mattel’s toys and books and marketing materials identified her, ‘Barbie’s Best Friend’— not simply herself. She never even had an essay written especially for her till now.” Spend some time palling around with Midge, Barbie’s best friend, and Barbie fan/scholar Susann Cokal. Besides being a literary critic, novelist, teacher, and Broad Street‘s editorial...
“Abby Is Tall and Blonde,” memoir by Abby Otte.
By Abby Otte. When people attempt to sum me up for a stranger, it usually goes something like this: “Abby is tall and blonde.” My parents like to say that when I was born I came out all limbs. My arms and legs stretched from my body like taffy. As I aged I used them...
From Our Pages: “The Lives of Strangers”: Paisley Rekdal Reflects on Marriage, Betrayal, and Murder.
A favorite essay from our first issue, formatted for online reading. Josh George, Buddy Patrol, mixed media on wood panel. “The Lives of Strangers,” by multiple-award-winning poet and memoirist Paisley Rekdal, explores the complexities of marriage and love—and the many forms of violence they can engender. The piece first appeared in the print version...
Art Imitating Life: Drones Appearing on Afghan Rugs
Here at Broad Street we are fascinated with the ways art reflects life—sometimes in surprising forms. The Atlantic recently ran a piece that showcases one such example. Cosimo Bizzari writes about a recent trend taken by Afghan rug-weavers: When it comes to what to depict on rugs, Afghan weavers traditionally turn to what’s most familiar. So in...
Typhoid Mary and the Public’s Right to Health
by Carla Dominguez Earlier this month, it was confirmed that there are more than 100 cases of measles in the United States—the largest outbreak in the post-vaccination era. An urban legend quickly circulated about a single unvaccinated woman who had traveled to Disneyland, spreading the disease. This misinformation fueled the dispute between those who choose to vaccinate themselves and their children...
