“The world in my head has been far more real than the one outside—maybe that’s the exact definition of madness, come to think of it.” -Awaeke Emezi, Freshwater

Reality. Can we ever claim to know it truly? Those who study the brain and our perceptions will tell you that reality is a construct and that it can be easily manipulated if one only knows how. We view the entire universe through a few inches of ocular space colored by a machine whose job it is to filter our perceptions. While we may question our reality at times, it is another quite difficult task to escape our version of the world.

Jennifer Natalya Fink is working on an experimental novel titled Mischief. She is also at work on a disability memoir which explores her family lineage and dysfunction. Her book Bhopal Dance is based in the world’s worst industrial disaster that took place in 1984. The book explores themes of resistance, perpetration and queer resistance from the point of view of an imprisoned woman who considers herself a “pet” of the state. To hear more from Jennifer Natalya Fink, including a reading from Bhopal Disaster, listen to the complete interview.

Amanda Browder is an artist working all over the US. She is recently returned from Las Vegas where she was chosen to create a piece of public art. Browder’s art involves draping buildings in fabric. She works with communities, sources fabric and hosts sewing days. The building is draped for a short period of time before the piece is dismantled. Browder supports herself with her artistic endeavors having saved up enough money for a year in order to become a full time artist. She is often approached by institutions to create draped buildings – for each of these commissions Browder receives financial support and a liaison to the community. To hear more about her project in Las Vegas and what she learned from and about the community there – as well how she is funded and much more, listen to the complete interview.