The Studded Belt Phenomenon

by 90s Meg Ryan

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1.	NINA PURO - Elegy with Bette Davis Eyes 01:02	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ELEGY WITH BETTE DAVIS EYES there’s this time I keep up my sleeve woodsmoke & wood floors. pull it out when the mob has their pitchforks tuned quiet as frost furs the freezer overnight. sleep so deep the voice in the dream cracks wineglasses in my kitchen. the girl in the dream kept a whisper & an atlas in a vial round her neck to turn down that cold wind. mostly it worked. in the movies the sidekick says go on without me-- don’t look back! I’m the one saying that to all of you. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NINA PURO’s work is forthcoming or recently appeared in Guernica, H_ngm_n, Indiana Review, the PEN America Poetry Series, Washington Square Review, amongst others. She is a member of the Belladonna* Collaborative and the author of a chapbook, Two Truths and a Lie (dancing girl press, 2015). She lives and cries in Brooklyn. www.ninapuro.tumblr.com/writing ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2.	NINA PURO - Elegy with Tripwire 01:31	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ELEGY WITH TRIPWIRE dead mice behind the stove, bellies curled around poison I scattered. under the futon: balloon dog, remote, dead soldiers. they've cordoned off our block with coffeeshops like they're making a moat. we’re the alligators. drag up an invoice for night as if the projector could silver our organs. we drowsy we slogans slurred. we icefoam over the bridge’s struts. what color the virus? the brother's coat? liver-light. day like a fuse. girl like a paper bag damp on the bottom. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NINA PURO’s work is forthcoming or recently appeared in Guernica, H_ngm_n, Indiana Review, the PEN America Poetry Series, Washington Square Review, amongst others. She is a member of the Belladonna* Collaborative and the author of a chapbook, Two Truths and a Lie (dancing girl press, 2015). She lives and cries in Brooklyn. www.ninapuro.tumblr.com/writing ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3.	BETTINA JUDD - Ruach 00:46	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RUACH joseph, cuckold by God is haunted She taps on his ear while he is asleep proposing new schemes to protect her bouncing baby boy he moves from the land of judea to egypt and then to nazareth teaches a son who looks nothing like him how to humble his holy hands pays little attention to the whispers about mary who glows in the company of women ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BETTINA JUDD is an artist, poet, performer, and visiting assistant professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at The College of William and Mary. She is an alumna of Spelman College and the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned her PhD in Women's Studies. Her debut collection of poems PATIENT. won the Hudson Book Prize and was published by Black Lawrence Press in November 2014. www.bettinajudd.com. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
4.	SPORTS - You're So Sorry 02:00	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ YOU'RE SO SORRY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SPORTS is friends first, band second. They all attend/went to Kenyon College in Gambier, OH (3 of them just graduated). www.therealsports.bandcamp.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5.	MATT McBRIDE - City of the Awkward Moment in a Musical before Eeveryone Bursts into Song 00:50	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CITY OF THE AWKWARD MOMENT IN A MUSICAL BEFORE EVERYONE BURSTS INTO SONG You feel like a room of empty folding chairs. Everybody’s walking parallel, faster than necessary. A card table glows with mason jars; in each a pigeon beats as a man, drunk for the first time, drives a stair car in circles. You’re pretty sure it’s been 1997 for the past few years. Exit planes. Tape hiss. Many heavy-possibles. You put on your favorite person face. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MATT McBRIDE's work has appeared in or is forthcoming form Another Chicago Magazine, Columbia Poetry Review, FENCE, the Pinch, [PANK] and Smartish Pace amongst others. His latest chapbook, Cities Lit by the Light Caught in Photographs, was released in 2012 by H_NGM_N Books. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
6.	NOMI STONE - I Wrote Another Poem for You 01:25	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I WROTE ANOTHER POEM FOR YOU -for JMR Happy Sunday, are you awake? It is morning, and the effect of the window is the room naked with light. The tree’s effect as it froths its cream over the streets is a sensation in the chest of a woman wearing a red hat of momentary immortality. The effect of the sun is a boy took off his socks scootering barefoot & in a meadow outside the city, blue chives broke open their buds & later a couple found them at the grocery, ate them on a salad. That hour I was in a café, reading the same philosopher again, opening his difficult argument. He said: not in effects but in things. Not tree-effects but tree as tree; window as window; sun as sun. I had been measuring the flush that shook me when I saw you on the street, the joules of heat under my skin. I stepped backward, exiting the frame to watch your slightly askew bangs, your stride, the shape of your life in your 39th year, rising. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOMI STONE is the author of the poetry collection Stranger’s Notebook (TriQuarterly, 2008), an MFA Candidate in Poetry at Warren Wilson College and a PhD Candidate in Cultural Anthropology at Columbia University. She earned a Masters in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford and was a Creative Writing Fulbright scholar in Tunisia. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Guernica, Poetry Northwest, Blackbird, Drunken Boat, and elsewhere. She is currently working on Kill Class, a collection of poems based on her fieldwork within US combat simulations. Stone has lived in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
7.	PAUL HLAVA - Inheritance 01:09	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INHERITANCE I flew a drone through the desert of a computer lab. Now, I teach my son to raise the toilet seat and where to place his feet. To cut a hole in toast with a plastic cup and crack an egg inside. We play Xbox on Sundays as a reward for pulling weeds. I teach my son to aim his punch six inches behind the gut of his bully as if there were two boys pushing him. Gloria quietly watches TV. I hear young men down the block yelling over one another about girls they’ve been with and boys they’ve knocked out. I want to count the times I hear the word “I.” Can one self be so large as to contain others? How many men are approaching? There’s a man behind the one who’s visible, my son on Gloria’s lap, navigating light-bursts with a remote. I’m on the verge of a tremendous drop, flowers below blooming infinitely red and yellow. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PAUL HLAVA's poems have appeared in Narrative, BOMB, the Los Angeles Times and PEN America, among other publications. He also was named a Best New Poet 2012 by Matthew Dickman, earned a 2013 Poets House fellowship and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Hlava received an MFA from New York University. www.paulhlava.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
8.	JIMMY POP - Hang Around 03:26	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HANG AROUND ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ JIMMY POP is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, CA. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album 'Hybrid Theory,' which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries. 'Hybrid Theory' was a massive commercial success; it sold more than 4.8 million copies during its debut year, earning it the status of best-selling album of 2001, while singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" established themselves as staples among alternative rock radio playlists. www.jimmypop9.bandcamp.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
9.	MARIAHADESSA EKERE TALLIE - Pencil 01:06	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PENCIL There are small braveries that do not feel brave. I’m going to start to write in pencil now, because nothing is etched in stone/permanent because my heart is stronger than my wrists & I must. Moment of bravery? Deciding to do it/to write I’ve said this before Another? Kissing a mouth on a corner on a public street in the sun. We’re going to have a problem, he said. Heat bearing down/giving birth to a relationship that would wring us both out/lay us out to bleach us/bleach not our blackness/our browness/which is oceanic & will cover earth one day not bleach that unstoppable beauty /but bleach out the ink we defined ourselves in when we signed our names in books & papers under definitions of who we thought we were, we are not that. I am no longer ink. I can erase any version of me. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MARIAHADESSA EKERE TALLIE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
10.	MARIAHADESSA EKERE TALLIE - The Day I Knew I Loved You 01:05	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE DAY I KNEW I LOVED YOU 1. convinced myself to forget your name became secret music tucked between my hips 2. what love lets a man hover? here is the dark door here is the sweet aroma here is rice here is children’s laughter come, eavesdrop on this life 3. forgot myself your music name convinced secret hips 4. prayed: if we choose this collision let him unlock his chest treasure of rubies & afro picks remember sugar & freeze tag erase his Daddy’s fire hands let us be a wild undiscovered spring let us sip from each other’s magic No let us gulp drown resurface reborn & strong enough to walk away ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MARIAHADESSA EKERE TALLIE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
11.	NATE LOGAN - You Won't Be Seeing Me Again 01:00	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ YOU WON'T BE SEEING ME AGAIN A whiff of dry shampoo in the air tonight. Clouds have been appropriated for a C+ avant-garde piece. Lenin’s Tomb yawns— he’s had enough of R.E.M. I loosen my tie like we’re not here, like at any second some idiot will double dip in the nacho volcano. The swing does what it was built for and so do I. I hold my right leg behind my back, then my left. I sign a document bequeathing the names of my future pets to you. I spritz my glasses with cleaner and use the expensive French cloth. You drop pins in the sloth ashtray, one by one. “Hang in there, baby” is written on the bottom, clear as a vodka ice cube. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NATE LOGAN's recent reviews and work can be found in Diagram, Forklift, Ohio, and Ninth Letter. He’s the editor of Spooky Girlfriend Press and a Ph.D. candidate in Creative Writing at the University of North Texas. www.spookygirlfriendpress.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
12.	TWIN STUDIES - Space Girl 03:47	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SPACE GIRL ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TWIN STUDIES began in summer 2012 as a recording project by Jay Stanley. The current line-up adds Aubry Meers, Stephen Lewis, and Jacob Armando. They are from Atlanta, Georgia. www.twinstudies.bandcamp.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
13.	C.T. McGAHA - Son of Man Sans Mains 00:57	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SON OF MAN SANS MAINS i am drinking on trashbag mountain near gutter on central. praise god, open mouth god, praise god. shelf by shelf the wall collapses raining bottles that explode into oceans. it's all wet & sloppy– the plastic around me; stray dog; found cell phone. i want to swallow the bad w/ the good, catch a reflection; a covenant with mine eyes. my hands look different when I drip them all over me, look different all over. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ C.T. McGAHA is a writer from Charlotte, NC. His work has been previously published in Gambling the Aisle, Haunted Waters' Press' From the Depths, and Crab Fat Literary Magazine. When he's not writing, he's driving down Central Avenue, blasting Outkast's "Aquemini." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
14.	SHE BEARS - Beach Fires 03:21	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BEACH FIRES ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SHE BEARS is a slacker-pop band from Columbus, OH. She Bears is Stephen Zefpha Pence, Alex Douglas, Ryan Franz, and Alex Eiler. www.weareshebears.bandcamp.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
15.	ANNA MEBEL - What We Did with the Moon 01:53	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WHAT WE DID WITH THE MOON The moon was a dumpling in the sky, so we ate it. Before us, no one had successfully done so. In 1981, a Polish woman had made it through the icy barriers but found that, once it was within her reach, she had no appetite for it. My theory was that the ice volcanoes and atmospheric limitations weren’t the moon’s only protection. I imagined a psychological barrier as well. So I took you. We were friends, and I’ve had feelings for you for years. Whatever hadn’t transpired between us weakened the rock. We woke up hung-over, gray crumbs in our teeth. Moonless, the city transformed. The sidewalk cracks gaped open and lakes spilled over. My apartment trembled, and you piled broken pieces of glass and plates into the sink. But we were full. For too long we had sustained ourselves with small trays of frozen food. We had been hungry for vivid dreams. You said, “I dreamt of being a quick-pawed coyote, a flash of gold in the grasslands.” When the authorities bashed through the windows, they dragged us apart and slammed us in cells to design our harsh punishment. You would spend your prison time planning the next venture, to eat like a coyote. I tallied days on the cement slab between us. You never asked me about my moon dream; you were so preoccupied with yours. I dreamt of a black river, a night swim, a hint of light on my shoulders. In the water like air, my breaststroke was clear and powerful. All around me animals were dying—deer knees buckling at the bank of the river, fish floating upside-down. From the trees, birds splashed into the current. Eating the moon bettered you, but it made me uncertain of everything. Did the bites, one-by-one, fill us—did we slurp up all the cold, pungent gravel? Am I full of remorse? I doubt it. When we gorged together, the darkness grew. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ANNA MEBEL lives in Syracuse, NY. Her work has appeared on Tin House's Open Bar. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
16.	LOGAN DODD - I Wish I Could Lie 02:47	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I WISH I COULD LIE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LOGAN DODD is a singer-songwriter in Indianapolis, Indiana and is one half of pop duo Șale Joseph. Logan has recently released her first solo project titled Hearts For Eyes, an EP of five songs in their original voice memo format. www.soundcloud.com/logan-dodd-5 www.soundcloud.com/sale-joseph ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
17.	LOGAN DODD - Easier 03:46	lyrics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EASIER ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LOGAN DODD is a singer-songwriter in Indianapolis, Indiana and is one half of pop duo Șale Joseph. Logan has recently released her first solo project titled Hearts For Eyes, an EP of five songs in their original voice memo format. www.soundcloud.com/logan-dodd-5 www.soundcloud.com/sale-joseph ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

about

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THE STUDDED BELT PHENOMENON
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ALBUM ART/HEADER by WANG WEI.
WANG WEI is a Beijing-based photographer.
www.flickr.com/photos/wang_wei
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GUIDELINES:
Send text of 1-3 previously unpublished
pieces of poetry (all left-aligned)
or fiction (~700 words) to me at
❀ ❀ 90sMegRyan@gmail.com ❀ ❀
No bold, italics, underlines.
Include a hello, a funny video, & a little
about yourself with each submission.
Address me by name, please.
Don't send willy-nilly, please.
Musicians, send me a link to your tunes.
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AUSTIN HAYDEN runs 90's Meg Ryan
I try to get the spacing right in the "lyrics" section.
I try to represent every THPS2 skater in each issue.
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QUICK REMINDER: Black lives matter, stop killing transgender people, Alexis Pope is still the truth, your lit journal isn't punk rock, terrorism is not an ideology- it's a tactic, "Moment in the Sun" by Clem Snide is untouchable, and we should listen to Ellen when she says, "Be kind to one another."
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Long live Meg Ryan.
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