Please join me in celebrating the release of my debut title, Curses & Prayers! This project is dear to my heart. Curses & Prayers is the raw, poetic debut of a queer author of color. This collection tells the story of a grieving soul in distress, seeking out compensation for the emotions that were autonomously […]
*Posted online with Little Village MagazineImage by Bill Barlow from Pixabay Iowa City Monarch Festival Iowa City Municipal Airport — Sunday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m. to noon The fourth annual Iowa City Monarch Festival on Sunday is a celebration with a purpose. The two-hour event at the Iowa City Municipal Airport not only gives people a chance to enjoy monarch […]
The experience of biracial, queer people is an esoteric one in the Midwest. Nevertheless, it must be shared. Three culturally intersectional individuals tell about their worldview in this Op-Doc style video.
By Philip Runia *Published in Vol. 7 of Fools Magazine , Illustration by Tayden Seay The ruddy dirt in Texas, just after a Wyoming rain spattered across my back. The hide of piglets, squeezed squealing in my palms until almost white, but not quite. The lone drop of buttermilk chocolate that formed the mole under […]
by Philip Runia *Published in Volume 6.5 of Fools Magazine The cheep-cheep of the bird outside is rapturous. Not quite a joyful song, but as if it were demanding or anticipating that something happen. Though I don’t have my glasses on, I can tell by the gray shade of the sky and the cool smell […]
“Hey, it’s okay, don’t be upset.” Cody said. Cody placed his hand on my thigh, and I didn’t respond. His fingers pressed low enough to be friendly, but high enough to remind me when we had been more. I crossed my legs, pushing him out of the space between my thighs. I looked away from […]
1918 Death does mysterious things to people. It can create sorrow, anger, riches and envy. It can leave the high-headed unbred. It can unravel the tightly wound, knot the unhinged. It can expose the true quality or value in a thing. Dusty, Dorothy thought, as she scrutinized the veneer of grime atop the chipped […]
*Published in Vol. 5 of Fools Magazine My coat is itchy.Wool isn’t supposed to feel that way.The finer kind, anyway.The warmth from his grasp has disappeared,separated by that old, yet familiar, barrier of isolation.A chilling shiver creeps through my veins,causing my spine to shake and my neck to jerk.The coat isn’t warm enough.It was expensive […]
*Published in Vol. 4 of Fools Magazine Clothes from another generation meet recycled bright blue eyeshadows and rosy red blushes – all in the name of embracing femininity. But femininity is synonymous with weakness, tainting this joyous experiment. As a result, many boys and men feign exaggerated masculinity so as to not disrupt our socially […]
*Published in Vol. 3 of Fools MagazineContent Warning: Sexual Assault *Name changed for anonymity I was late to my interview with Sloan*. The delay was an issue – “I was ready at two,” she said. The gritty memories of the porn industry needed emotional preparation to tell, and Sloan had been ready fifteen minutes prior. […]
Philip Runia