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Seaside Stories
Tayyaba, who moved here from Pakistan with her older brother and sister, precociously explains that she feels “most at peace” near the water.
V. Bensonhurst Girls
No matter what her ethnic background, a girl growing up in Bensonhurst coats the outer layer of her personality with strength, sass, and neighborhood pride. The girls of Bensonhurst exude genuine intensity in almost everything they do. If the time and place calls for dressing up, their hair and makeup will be meticulously arranged; when there is nothing particular to do, they master how to look spontaneously mussed up. Even ambivalence is emphasized with an exaggerated shrug. Such behaviors may sound contrived, but on the streets of Bensonhurst they are perfectly natural.
As these Bishop Kearney girls head into their limo for the prom, cooing relatives and neighbors snap hundreds of photos, stopping traffic.
Outside Diva Dance Studio—motto: “we’re so glam we sweat glitter”—these three dressed up as little “dolls” for their picture day.
Irina and Robin hold their own during a very serious water fight—girls against boys—the first one of the summer.
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Saffron Girls
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this is a small play. this is a quiet play. this is a family play. this is a persian joy play.
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Balance of Stories
By Emmanuel IdumaNOV 2022 | Editor's Message
I asked the writers gathered in this section to choose a photograph and write a narrative based on it. How they defined “narrative” was up to them; they could borrow from any genre, including biography, history, memoir, and the news. I wanted to bring to fore the idea that a critic is, in the best sense, also a storyteller.
