During collectively traumatic events art therapists sprang into action with pastels and paints. “The true purpose of art is one of resilience, not pathology or the expression of mental illness.” Cathy Malchodi, PhD Scraps of charred paper rained from the sky as Marygrace Berberian stepped out of the World Trade Center. At 7:45 AM, […]
May 2022 Edition
Welcome to Shoeleather Magazine! We publish timely longform work by Honors students at NYU Journalism.
Taboo to Trendy: Pole Dancing Gone Mainstream
Sweaty grip-aid covered fingerprints distort the reflections in the pair of 8-foot chrome poles on stage, signaling to the volunteers that it is time to wipe them down. “Woooo!!” Jamie Wong cheers as she watches the other volunteers shimmy up the poles, with rubbing alcohol-soaked rags secured to their clothes. Once they sturdy themselves at […]
Latine Youth: The Untreated Generation
Michelle Pogyo’s family went to mass every Sunday. Even though the St. Anns Church was only a five minute drive from her house, Michelle’s mother woke her up at the brink of dawn to braid her hair, tugging and twisting it to a torturous perfection to see God. “You have to look good for Diosito […]
Souls Above the Altar
I – The Usher: I’m Tryna Be Like Them Porsche Little seemed to have it all. At the tender age of 22, she had an apartment in Brooklyn, several thousand dollars cushioning her pockets, and the satisfaction of having proved her parents wrong. She attended a community college in New Jersey, where she took a […]
They’re Here, They’re Queer, They’re… Republican?
Part I – Dean of the Gay Legislature A year before election day in 2015, Todd Novak’s phone rang. It was Mark Pocan, a Congressman from Wisconsin’s 2nd district. Pocan asked Novak if he’d consider running for an open seat in the 51st assembly district, which is located in southwest Wisconsin, just west of Madison. […]
From Queens to the Capitol
When I was a kid, I wanted to be Barack Obama, and I promise that every black boy in my third grade class would say the same thing. I grew up a few miles outside of Atlanta, a city often called the black Mecca because there’s no other place in America where black people have […]
Is Crowdfunding the New Welfare?
Travis Loteck grew up doing tricks on his BMX bike with the kids around his neighborhood. He would jump up and down dirt hills in a wooded area near his house in Millville, New Jersey until late at night. When not riding, he ran track, played varsity football, and, for a short period in high […]
Prepper, Inc.
1- The Right Kind of Business Daisy Luther’s father was about to die. She lived in Canada at the time, working a cushy corporate job. As her father’s health deteriorated in a hospital in the southern United States, Luther was determined to spend time with him. She burned through paid time off, sick days, and […]