Celebrating Our Trans and Queer Contributors by Evangeline Lim
Hey there, Split Lip Magazine readers! Today we want to celebrate the work of our trans and queer contributors whose stories have helped shape this space. Whether they explore identity, the everyday, or something in between, these writers remind us of the endless ways voice-driven work can live on the page. Here are a few pieces from our archive we hope stay with you beyond the blog. If you enjoy them, be sure to check out more of these writers’ work!
We’re starting with Avery Yoder-Wells’ “Benediction and #4 Clippers.” Snip, snip! This poem transforms an “ordinary” haircut into a quiet ritual of self identity and transition. We love the way it weaves spiritual undertones throughout.
Another poem rich in imagery—this one sacramental—is “WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THE SOUND OF HEAVEN WAS ONLY JUST THE COINSTAR” by Dare Williams. Coins are holy, machines are the mouth of God, and prayers are said to escape poverty. This piece leaves you thinking about the weight of blessings.
A memoir that holds emotional weight is “Things We Can’t Pronounce” by Kailee Haong. It’s a reflective essay centering a granddaughters’ struggle to fully communicate across a language barrier. Despite that, it emphasizes cultural preservation, highlighting that love can transcend language.
“Manguitos, Pears, Grapefruits,” a series of micro fictions by jj peña, uses fruit as metaphors to explore family memory and inherited identity. It’s rich. It’s sensory. And, it vulnerably shows how past and present may shape who we are—and the parts of ourselves we may try to keep hidden.
In K-Ming Chang’s flash, “Gloria,” the narrator remembers her first act of violence against Gloria Gao, a girl whom she resents as much as she desires. With religious reflections, sexual awakenings, and emotional intensity, this piece explores far more than typical teen envy.
A fiction that grapples with unsettling themes is “Amber Darling,” by Scott Fenton. It’s told through fragmented yet vivid scenes conveying a predatory relationship between a high school volleyball coach and a player caught between adolescence and adulthood.
“Have You Seen This Woman,” a flash by Jasmine Ruff, is shaped as a missing persons ad, but the mother at the center of it is repeatedly sighted. She’s floating in the ocean, drinking in a bar, and wandering around a grocery store—all while wearing a house robe?! So … is she really missing?
Perhaps someone who’s truly lost is Sergio, the protagonist of C.R. Foster’s “Saffron Farm.” Readers inhabit Sergio’s interior world in this fiction, and we quickly realize he is someone who relies on noise and distraction to anchor himself. Still, silence has a way of creeping up on you…
Another introspective piece is Crystal Odelle’s memoir “GRAY RAINBOW.” While on a date with a cisgender man, Crystal’s feelings are complex and dysphoric. This piece grounds readers in the scene, mixing external observations with internal reflections.
A poem that is internal and bittersweet, is “I Told My Grandfather My Name” by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza. The speaker is processing the death of their grandfather whom they haven’t seen since coming out as trans. Although short, this piece packs a tender punch.
Rounding off this list is Jason B. Crawford’s “Unicorn Kidz Dance under the Moonlight, Too.” This poem explores the tension between softness and toughness in Black masculinity, especially for queer boys who may not conform to traditional expectations. With detailed yet contrasting imagery, it longs for a world where Black boys can live without shame!
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Evangeline Lim (@ev.angline) is currently pursuing English and Media Studies at the University of California Berkeley. She is an intern at Split Lip Magazine and a weekender staff-writer at The Daily Californian. Outside of reading and writing, she loves trying new restaurants, watching romcoms, and her pet turtle, Murdtle.