ISSUE 13
Letter from the Editor
Every academic year ends with a beginning. The start of Spring, the start of Summer Break, and in our case, the rebirth of an era. In EMBODIED’s first official print issue in over four years, we are pleased to be sharing with you EMBODIED Issue 13. This marks the publication’s first ever un-themed issue, championing the freedom we have always strived to embrace in the voices we uplift and the stories we tell.
Having begun the year with Issue 11: “Print is Dead,” we come full circle with an issue available exclusively in print. It features a collection of essays, short stories, poetry, and visual art from our brilliant and thought-provoking staff and contributors. The featured work aims to encapsulate snapshots of defining moments in art and culture this year, from treatises on the empowering humanization of Cardi Belcalis Almanzar, popularly known as Cardi B, through one writer’s cultural identification with the icon to a critical look at the entertainment industry one year after the historic catalyzation of the #MeToo Movement.
As another year in EMBODIED comes to a celebratory close, on behalf of magazine, it has been the greatest pleasure being on this ride, and we thank you for bearing witness to our greatest ambitions that we hope to see blossom and dance into a thrilling and bright future. We wish you all a beautiful summer holiday, and we will see ya soon.
- Kaylee Warren
Cardi B, My Everywoman
An essay about one writer’s empowering and humanizing resonance with fellow Bronx native Cardi Belcalis Almanza
By Jenzia Burgos
#MeNext: One Year Later
Looking at the current state of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, one year after its breakthrough.
By Andie Newell
From Soulja Boy to Kiki: Finding Deeper Meaning in Memes
How memes and viral internet challenges are fostering a deeper connection with music in the Digital Age
By Shirley Cahyadi
Kanye Had a Plan
“I think of a younger Ye — hands in his pockets, fidgeting in front of a teleprompter. I think of the way his voice wavered, anxious breaths filling his words; his gaping eyes blinking at the camera. He had a plan. He always did.”
By Jenzia Burgos
KANYE WEST IS BLACK DONALD TRUMP: Visual Cultures & Performance Art
By Maya Kotomori