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Why “Advocacy”?
~ a collaborative special issue by The Lumiere Review and The Elysian Review ~
2020 may be coming to a close, but uplifting marginalized voices is still as important as ever. In our ADVOCACY issue, we present the works of fifteen writers and artists who use their creative talents to shine the light on every unheard plea, deafening protest, and call for change.
Advocacy is about using our voice. It means using whatever platform we have, no matter its size, to speak up on pressing issues and amplify unheard voices. In order to create substantial change, we must change ourselves by educating, listening, and re-learning. We must acknowledge our own privileges, oppressors, and biases to move towards a more tolerant society. Advocacy comes in different forms, whether it’s giving speeches to an audience or having a hard-hitting discussion with your loved-ones.
Thus, our “Advocacy” issue was made. Our issue serves to the creative power of words and art to spread awareness about unacknowledged topics. By giving a platform to writers and artists, a multitude of opinions and talents intersect, ultimately presenting what advocacy means to us. We uplift and encourage every creative to use their gift to advocate for something they feel passionate about. Every poem, prose piece, and artwork in this issue carries a story with a message, but it lies within you, the reader, to dissect the narratives within these stories and take actions on uplifting underrepresented perspectives.
Please continue to support calls for change, such as Black Lives Matter (BLM), Junk Terror Bill, End Sars, Yemen Crisis, and more.
Sincerely,
Lumiere x Elysian
Contents
POETRY
Caroliena Cabada
Anointing Obuh
Praise Osawaru
Amlanjyoti Goswami
Fizza Abbas
Riya Cyriac
Caroliena Cabada
Megan Burns
Shareen K. Murayama
Jay Miller
PROSE
Chinonye Omeirondi
Cameron L. Mitchell
ART GALLERY
Work by Derek Roper, Hayley Jo Barker, Ishaq Adekunle, and Martins Deep here.
PDF Version
Click to access the PDF version here.
Contributors
Amlanjyoti Goswami _//_ Anointing Obuh _//_ Cameron L. Mitchell _//_ Caroliena Cabada _//_ Chinonye Omeirondi _//_ Derek Roper _//_ Fizza Abbas _//_ Hayley Jo Barker _//_ Ishaq Adekunle _//_ Jay Miller _//_ Martins Deep _//_ Megan Burns _//_ Praise Osawaru _//_ Riya Cyriac _//_ Shareen K. Murayama
About the Editors
Jessica Kim is a disabled poet from California. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Wildness, Cosmonauts Avenue, Grain Magazine, Longleaf Review, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, and more. She has been recognized by the National Poetry Quarterly, Pulitzer Center, and has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize in 2020. Find her at jessicakimwrites.weebly.com and @jessiicable on twitter and instagram.
Ye Ji Jong is a Junior at Cypress High School and the Editor-in-Chief of The Elysian Review. Although creative writing isn’t her strongest suit, she loves reading prose and poetry because it puts her trait of overthinking for good use. Ye Ji mostly writes Op-Eds and Editorials for LA Times High School Insider, Joongang-Ilbo, and her school’s newspaper: The Centurion Spotlight. She is super passionate about social justice and intersectional feminism.
Rebecca Choe is a high school student from Southern California. Her work has been previously published in Much Love, Magazine and awarded by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She works Editor-in-Chief/Editor/Director positions at The Lumiere Review, Elysian Review, and Asians in the Arts. She founded and leads her school district’s online literary magazine, Dial Magazine. She also loves cheese and Hello Kitty.
Chinonye Omeirondi is a high school junior from Southern California who has a love-hate relationship with writing, but she keeps practicing her craft for the sake of a childhood dream. Chinonye has prose published in The Heritage Review, The Incandescent Review, Wintermute, and Detester Magazine, along with being the founder of the newly created Afro Literary Magazine, a safe space for Black writers and artists.
What’s Next?
Submit
We are always open to POETRY, PROSE, and ART submissions. Check out our submissions page for guidelines.
Support
Here are some ways you can help ongoing campaigns for justice by signing petitions, donating, and educating yourself:
Black Lives Matter (BLM)
Junk Terror Bill
End Sars
Yemen Crisis
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