Not that it s by any means the most important thing about it, but
One Last Stop is incredible New York City propaganda. Casey McQuiston s second novel, which charts the love story of a closed-off recent Louisiana transplant and a butch punk heartthrob who is trapped on a subway line, has such warmth spilling out of it that suddenly everything you ve dismissed as cliche about the city feels new and earned. Maybe public transportation is a venue for meet-cutes and little moments of kindness. Maybe the kitchen smells that cling to your clothes after your waitressing shift are a perfume. Maybe it
Laura Dern’s mesmerizing turn as Dr. Ellie Sattler in
Jurassic Park; and, as exemplified in his newest young adult novel
Jay’s Gay Agenda, the simple magic of discovering yourself as a queer person. Jason June (Photo by Ryan Bilawsky)
While his previous works in children’s literature have been wonderfully gay in their own way, Jason June’s first foray into the world of YA rom-coms provides a new way to explore teen queerdom in all its different lights.
“With
Jay s Gay Agenda,” Jason June explains, “I was trying to find the magic of life. Magic is my absolute favorite word, and I do think that in our world, there is a magic to humanity and to our connections.”
T
he Derek Chauvin trial appears to be going well, but I m not celebrating. Given the countless times police have killed Black people and not been charged, it is frustrating but true that even having a trial for a gruesome murder witnessed around the world is a small victory. But while Chauvin s trial represents the
possibility of police accountability within the legal system, his prosecution is an example of the system that produced him protecting itself. Jac Archer When we are accustomed to seeing police departments defend egregious behavior, it is at first encouraging to see the system finally call out a bad cop. But read the subtext. The prosecutors are proceeding on the bad apple theory, painting Chauvin as a uniquely bad officer who engaged in anomalously violent actions. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo the city s first Black police chief led several of his officers in testifying that Chauvin s treatmen