Archived Issue Original cover page for the October 2003 issue:

Autumnmoo

Photography by John Freeman Photography by John Freeman Photography by John Freeman

Photos by John Freeman

Four new contributors from four different countries! South African John Freeman leads the bunch (alphabetically) with his evocative black-and-white photo essay of Taiwan, along with Taiwanese Robin Liu and his fascinating pen-and-ink drawings, pioneering the new “Art” category.

Perhaps most proudly presented of all, two poems by poet Li-Young Lee, two new poems by David Grayson, and a poem by new contributor Rati Saxena. As for essays, Ho Lin treats us to a very well-researched, heartfelt elegy for Hong Kong Superstar Leslie Cheung, replete with lots of photos, and David Grayson gives us a brief slice of life of Cambodia’s Killing Fields from Kenya Prach, who survived them. Ten travelogs from the author’s 1996 SE Asian sojourn focus on a 19-day stay in Singapore teaching a group of Thai students.

Contributor Piece(s)
John Freeman Taiwan in Black & White A photographic study of Taiwan in black and white.
David Grayson Minyan, The Inside Scoop, and A Difficult Day Two poems exploring religious themes: on Kabbalistic Judaism and the nature of divinity; and a harrowing excerpt from the true story of a survivor of Cambodia’s Killing Fields.
Li-Young Lee Nativity and I Ask My Mother To Sing Two lovely poems by the acclaimed author of several books of poetry.
Ho Lin Phantom Lover: Ode to Leslie Cheung A detailed tribute that pays homage to the fallen star with a plethora of photos and an extensive retelling of his film career.
Robin Liu The Person Who Stands... Twenty images from the artist’s Chinese online presence. By turns dark, quirky, and humorous, these drawings never fail to intrigue.
Maurice Martin & Moocat le Meaux The Little X-mas That Wasn’t A hilarious, gonzo sendup of Christmas specials. Radio X’s anti-hero, anti-Christmas special is presented here in both streaming audio and .mp3 format.
Moocat le Meaux Antboy, The Little X-mas, and Singapore Travelogs (not currently available online) An actual transcript of 13 minutes of mischief in an Ant Colony chat room; that radio comedy schtick; and more travelogs from the author’s 1996 SE Asia wanderings.
Rati Saxena The Absence of Colours, in the World of Colours I must admit I don’t fully understand this poem, but so what! It is intriguing, mysterious, imaginative, and fresh — altogether mooworthy!

— The Editor