Body as Evidence • kerning no. 4
“In a perverse way, I was glad for the stitches... that there would be scars. What was the point in just being hurt on the inside? It should bloody well show.” ―Janet Fitch
In this fourth issue of kerning, the writing tackles visibility and the body, and the journeys of discovery, healing, and even destruction that are undertaken to lay the truth bare. What stories do our bodies hold and which do they (try to) release? What experiences leave a mark on our bodies and why? What does the body know that we don’t? And how does our relationship with our bodies impact the stories we tell about them or about ourselves?
Secret Identities • kerning no. 3
“...I think we are well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind's door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends.” —Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
For the third issue, we invited writers and artists to send us work based on the theme “Secret Identities,” writing that delves into what we conceal, obstruct, or obscure from view—whether it's by necessity, choice, or circumstance—and whether we're hiding from ourselves or the world.
It’s All Relative • kerning no. 2
In the second issue of kerning, we asked for work that incorporates the paradox of comparison and connection when we say: It’s All Relative. This issue includes stories about actual families or relationships, or pieces about situations or experiences that resist comparison or attachment, stories in which one’s decisions, behavior, mindset, or action flouts another’s expectations or understanding.
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Taking a Leap • kerning no. 1 • sold out
The debut issue of kerning focused on the theme “Taking a Leap.”
Writers told us about intersections that call us (and sometimes demand us) to choose one direction over another and further, what informs these decisions—comfort or curiosity? Fear or courage? Clarity or recklessness? Loyalty or rebellion?
The pieces in this issue explore a moment that brought the writer to the edge of opting in or out of a choice, the narratives that unfolded as a result of their decision, and what happened when they left their familiar landscapes in favor of the unknown.