The arrow of time is a concept in theoretical physics that essentially describes the flow of time as occurring in one singular direction in our lived experience, despite the equations of physics being time-independent. We, too, can freely conceptualize both the past and the future, the former’s moments and the latter’s possibilities. Starting in mid-October, I had a realization initiated by the large number of friends I lost touch with, and, later, the knowledge that people I

Okay, Edna. Just relax, maybe you’re just having a nightmare or something. Let’s just retrace how we got here . Edna Beezler tried to remember how she got to the unnerving sight before her.       Winter was her favorite time to take walks, as the soft snowfall put her mind at ease when she needed some time to simply think. The calming atmosphere was disrupted by a buzzing in her ears, and the snow began to fiercely pick up. Once the flash blizzard subsided and her vision was

The air is damp with a familiar, dirty, and salty scent–the smell of cigarettes, the sea, and the concrete jungle: Oakland, California. On November 1st of 2025, after a crazy Halloween night at the local goth club, I had an 8 AM train to catch from our local Amtrak station in Fresno, to Oakland Jack-London Square–I was going to see the renowned indie rock band Car Seat Headrest, live at the Fox. My 8 AM train was far too early following the previous night, and with a stroke o

Christmas is approaching, and the environment is showing this change. Decorations adorn city streets, homes, workplaces, and schools, all displaying signs that read "Merry Christmas." Besides the decorations and carols, people's attitudes also shift; altruism becomes more evident, and good manners and camaraderie are more noticeable everywhere. I dare say Christmas transforms our daily life. However, student life is a bit different. Yes, there is time to spend with family dur

Stories are invaluable resources to humans as a species. Stories are power, identity, and most importantly, memory. After reading They Call You Back  by Tim Z. Hernandez, I began to analyze the bloodied and bruised history of my family, the pain and perseverance I inherited. Everything that has ever happened to my parents and grandparents has made its way to me. By learning the stories of my parents' childhoods and experiences, I see how my father became the man who taught me

Every kid has two types of parents for Christmas. Those who try to pretend there is Santa and those who would give it to them straight(Fun Fact: Did you know Santa was inspired by Saint Nicolas?). My parents were the first example. However, it did not take long before I found out on my own. I remember that once I stayed up to catch the supposed fat man in red and caught my parents wrapping presents instead (Now that I think back, that was a better surprise. I would not have l

What is the word you think of when you think of Christmas? Is it the Christmas lights or the long lines at Target? As I grew up, all I could think about was presents. Let me tell you a story about this dad and his little boy. The father's name was David, and he grew up in Pomona, Los Angeles, with his mother who was tough on him. He was a knucklehead who always got in trouble all the way till his late 30s. Then he had a little boy. His name was Isaac. Isaac grew up with his d

I love personalizing things, from decorating my room to adding stickers to my laptop; so, naturally, customizing my laptop wallpaper as a newfound habit followed. It began in September 2023. I started with a wallpaper that was simple and incorporated my favorite video game character at the time, Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3. I loved how it turned out, but then October came around, and I thought, “Well, shoot, now I want a spookier themed wallpaper” (yes, it was technically a

The holidays were a one-Christmas-tree ordeal when I was a kid. My brothers would trudge through the dry snow in their bunny boots and snow shoes, I would trail behind, and together we would pick a tree, but the trees we chose were not plushy farm-grown varieties like the Douglas Fir, White Spruce, or Scotch Pine. No, the trees we picked grew in the woods around our house and had levels, like those tiered cookie trays at Christmas parties, and their branches didn’t arrange th

December is such a special month for me. Besides Christmas being around the corner and visiting my family in Mexico and getting to, once more, see the smiling faces of my great-grandparents, December is also my birthday month. It is a fitting birthday month for contemplation, as a new year is upon us, and I am inevitably contemplating the lessons and experiences of my life. I deem it to be a month filled with magic as the warmth and light of the sun falters, and we look for t

Tis the season for watching cheesy romantic movies where a spiritless big-town man moves to a small town where he falls in love with a small-town girl who believes in the spirit of Christmas. These movies all seem to focus on destroying the non-belief in the spirit of Christmas, leaving everyone jolly and reinspired to engage in capitalism. Many Christmas movies center on the trope where the responsibility of being Santa Claus is passed on to someone who is unwilling, so in t

Feb 6: Lit Arts Fundraiser The annual Reedley College Literary Arts fundraiser will be held in the McClarty Performing Arts Center this year. There will be food, drink, and a silent auction, as well as plenty of other ways to donate and support Literary Arts on campus. More information about this event is coming soon! Feb 26th: Mai Der Vang Mai Der Vang is the author of Yellow Rain  (Graywolf Press, 2021), winner of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of America

In the morning I found you sleeping under the rosemary bush. In the afternoon you are hiding behind the mulberry tree, Tail wagging as you move between the sweet potatoes, cacti, and lemongrass. Waiting for me to throw your ducky so you can fetch it. Anapaula bathes you and brushes your coat. She untangles and snips off the knots in your fur. Together we towel you off and you shake yourself dry.  And you follow Anapaula into her car Off to your vet appointment. I heard you be

Assignment one. Check. Assignment two. Check. Assignment three. Check. Each of these assignments is the reason we go treasure hunting. We have goals in life, and yes, it is hard. This is why we have to find every excuse and every motive to move that pencil towards our paper and those fingers towards our keyboards. Organization helps us know what we have to do and when we have to get things done. I am truly aware that many of you reading this may not struggle with planning for

As the end of the semester approaches, the majority of students enter a period of high stress with final projects, deadlines, and the pressure to get a good grade, and our lives burn out. Stress, fatigue, and self-doubt can easily make us lose the purpose we set for ourselves at the beginning of the semester; however, one practice that has been forgotten nowadays can help us in this end-of-semester feeling: gratitude.     Gratitude is the intentional recognition of the good t

This November 14th marks my 8th year of first electively listening to Gorillaz’s hit single, “Clint Eastwood.” An odd thing to recall so clearly, I know. I had always heard Gorillaz’ music on the radio; I grew up with Blur, Damon Albarn’s other band, but one day, my curiosity was piqued–I asked my mom, “What’s that song that goes, “ ‘I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad, I got sunshine in a bag…’ ” and then I promptly opened Spotify on my Amazon Kindle, and found the track, and fe