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Spring 2021
REBEL
Art & Literary Magazine
Notes on
ESCAPISM
Escapism is the incredible ability to retract from the physical world and
indulge in things only the human mind can create. It is escaping from
a world we feel unfit for and finding peace in a world where we can be
whatever we want. Whether that be through books or writing or music,
the ability of our minds is so powerful that we can decide to be wherever
we feel whole. When reality becomes overwhelming or overstimulating
escapism is a therapeutic sense of blocking it out. Even for just a moment.
- Allison Todd, Magazine Staff
As a child, life could be overwhelming. Girls would snicker as I walked into
the room, acting as if I couldn't hear them. I didn't look like them, so they
didn't want to be near me.
But when you're young, you just want a friend. Someone to play with or
explore the new frontier of your imaginations.
I didn't have that - I only had my books.
I would escape to the worlds of Narnia and Hogwarts; sometimes, I didn't
even want to stop reading because I didn't want to go back to reality. I didn't
want to go back to the world where I was all alone - a world where I didn't
have a partner in crime.
Escapism gave me a chance to have a little magic in my life during a
time where everything was gray. Even just for a moment, I was able to feel
something. Something real and genuine.
Without escapism, I would never have become who I am today. Allowing
myself to escape to other worlds gave me the chance to fight for what I
wanted, and deserved, in my real world.
- Reagan Blackburn, Magazine Staff
Letter From the Editor
This edition of REBEL serves as the first magazine put out by Pirate
Media 1 in 2021, following the catastrophe that was 2020. In the spirit
of the new year, I would like to invite you all to view the work within this
publication as a summary of the beauty that can come out of the worst
circumstances, as well as a jumping off point for a better future.
I spent most of last year feeling like I was not contributing anything to the
world; there's only so much you can do locked inside. But like many people, I
found myself turning to art when there was nowhere to go. I watched every
show I've ever had my eyes on, spent days mesmerized by video games,
purchased stacks of comics - but most importantly - I created. I drew and
carved and molded and designed. I walked out of 2020 with a new portfolio,
despite feeling sure that I had wasted all of my time. Even in a year that felt
like a blur, I can remember every moment I spent with an art piece. That's
because in those moments, I was somewhere else
building a world of my own creation. Art was
and has always been my greatest escape. I
believe many of our contributors would feel
the same way.
I hope that as you go through this
publication, viewing the exceptional work
of ECU students and alumni, you can deeply
immerse yourself into the narratives put forth.
Take a breath. Then come back refreshed and
ready to face what lies ahead.
Sincerely,
Editor-in-Chief, Rose Bogue.
6
7
8
12
10
9
Have They
Taken
Over You
Too
Aliyah
Bonnette
REM
Kaleah
Braswell
Steel
Tridacna
Julienne
Beblo
Sweet
Angel
Maelamin
Mae
You Are
Not Alone
Amira Ali
Breath of
Fairies
Maelamin
Mae
18
19
13
15
20
14
Sugary
Sea
Lauren
DelBrocco
Observation
Clock
Ronan
Carver
360
Julienne
Beblo
Presence
Kimberly
Cusack
Coffee
Gracie
Medcalfe
The White
Gate
Jonathan
Vick
24
21
22
26
25
23
Rejuvenate
LA Baker
Decadent
to the Evil
Eye
Lyric Lee
What
We do to
Please
Others
Amber
Baggette
Veins
Ashton
Burgess
Daydream
Simulation
Imari
Smith
An Angel's
Judgement
Tiana
Robinson
28
27
Through The Window
Morgan Zichettella
St Ivory
Kimberly Cusack
Table of
36
34
30
33
32
31
Visage
Chase Allen
Untitled
Olivia
Gravenese
Magical
Garden
Chelsea
Pritchard
Garden of
Eden
Trenton
Jones
Fried
Sunny
Side Up
Gracie
Medcalfe
Untitled
Katie Lee
41
37
42
44
40
43
Is This my
Body
Ishara
Mathews
One with
Nature
Amber
Baggette
Common
Plant
Families
Adam
Berman
Orpheus's
Entrance
Joseph
Tyler
Williams
Blues For
2020
David
Cicerone
Last Year
Jeremiah
Steven
45
47
48
49
50
46
Apollo
Decapitating
the Cyclops
Anthony
Naimo
Bird of Prey
Edwin
Averette
Memoria
Robert
Miranda
Not Your
Angel
Anymore
Aliyah
Bonnette
Haint Vs
Self Vs
Justice
Aliyah
Bonnette
REBEL
Theater
52
This is Amurica
Imani McCray
Breath and Fairies
Maelamin Mae
6
Illustration
You Are Not
alonealone
You are not alone
You may see happy people around you
But for sure you will see sad people too
Life is where you face a lot of struggles
But with each struggle,
You will learn how to juggle
Stay strong through your pain
Stay strong, I am saying it again
Anyone can easily run away
But they may lose the right way
Facing the problem is what makes you strong
And that's where you really belong
When you feel that your life is behind
You will find good people by your side
You are not alone
Amira Ali
7
Sweet Angel
Maelamin Mae
Illustration
8
Falling abysmally
As my eyes begin to flutter
Even in my illusions
Your presence
Causes my soul's voice to stutter
It is real
Or just a state of
Fluctuating still
When your aura departs
I count the ticks until.
I see you again
In another life, another phase
Time is unkind
As I wait
For you to stay
Ageless love is immortal
At times, it doesn't remain
90 minutes until I discover you
Awaiting restlessly in
My REM Stage
REM
Kaleah Braswell
9
TRIDACNA
10
Julienne Beblo
Ceramic
Ceramics is the ultimate combination of science and creativity.
I relish juxtaposing the precision and interactions found in
science with the organic forms and uncertainty associated
with ceramics. The natural world, particularly within the ocean,
is multidimensional and dynamic. Ceramics lends itself to the
replication and portrayal of marine environments, organisms
and interactions.
11
Have They Taken Over You Too
Aaliyah Bonnette
Painting
Coffee
Gracie
Medcalfe
Drawing
The White Gate
Jonathan Vick
In the middle of the clearing, where the wood meets the dying
grass, there is a gate. A white, picket fence gate that prides its
stature amongst the trees. I do not know what lies in the wood that
rests behind it, but I have never worked up the courage to peek, as
if whatever lay behind it was not meant for my prying eyes. Each
day I would wake up and feel the gate calling to me, as if within me
it imprinted a curiosity whose thirst was so strong that it could only
be satisfied by walking a few steps closer each day, attempting to
decipher what I couldn't see behind it. One day, however, curiosity
seemed too enticing to withhold.
That morning started the way it always had, with me waking up,
imagining the gate at the edge of the clearing, ignoring it to get
dressed and light the logs for the fireplace, and relaxing before
opening the door to the bitter cold. Once the door had opened
and the clearing presented itself to me, vacant and frozen in the
same skin it had always been in, I directed my gaze to the start of
the wood, where the prideful and gleaming gate was calling to me
again, reminding me, as always, of the curiosity that haunted my
every moment. The gate seemed closer than ever, yet I was not
close enough to open it. But maybe if I was just a little closer to it, I
thought.
I walked slowly through the clearing, keeping my eyes focused on
the gate as I pressed forward. I wondered what was beyond it, what
it would lead me to. Maybe nothing lay beyond the imposing object.
Maybe all there will ever be is a house, a clearing, and a line of wood.
Fifty steps later and I had reached the berating gate. I had been
in front of it only once before; the first time I ever rested innocent
eyes upon it, which was also the first memory I could actively recall,
but even then I couldn't force my way through it, as if my instincts
scolded the gate, which in turn seemed to mock me for my cowardice.
To this day, it still stood pearly white, without a hint of wear from the
environment that surrounded it. It remained pure and untouched by
human hands, the weather, and whatever lay beyond it. My curiosity
reached for the forbidden fruit. and pulled it from its latch.
14
The gate opened to unveil a pathway of the same size and shape
as the object that guarded it, which carved itself into the wood and
presented itself as one long corridor made entirely out of devilishly
tangling branches and beautifully rooted trunks. The pathway
seemed both sinister and entrancing all at once and I had gone too
far to turn around.
"One.two.three...," a voice said, counting instead of stating.
Seemingly coming from a light at the end of the path.
"Four.five.six.," I walked closer to the voice.
"Seven.eight.," I was close enough to see shapes coming from
a white light that looked like it was literally mounted to the wood.
"Nine.ten.ready or not, here I come!"
The light in front of me contorted and a moving picture presented
itself to me. Kids, two of them, were hiding behind trees, waiting for
their father, who had just removed his hands from his eyes to come
find them. I was entranced and confused by the images before me,
wondering how and what I could be seeing. There was the wood
and a house like I have, but the patch of grass was not big, and there
was life to it. It was green and sharp- filled with life, it was beautiful.
"I found you!" the father yelled as he peeped his head around the
tree and found his child, a girl, giggling and failing to keep still. It
seemed to me that she was not very good at the game, but her dad
was not mad. He was laughing.
"Want me to tell you where Veronica is?" the little girl asked. Her
dad smiled at her and shook his head no.
"We have to be quiet, so she won't hear us, that way I can surprise
her. Now go run up to the porch and wait, that way she doesn't think
you spoiled her hiding spot!" The dad immediately crouched down
and started walking to the other side of the grass, where his other
child remained hidden behind a tree, nervously giggling like her
sister. He could tell where she was and slowly walked behind the
tree and scared her as well.
"Daddy, I swear if Beth told you where I was!"
15
"No, no. She didn't. I could just hear you giggling a mile away. We're going to need
to work on your hiding skills!"
"Why my hiding skills? I heard you tell Beth to go to the porch. She was the first
one you found. I think she needs to work on her hiding skills too!"
"Well baby, if she does that, she'll start winning hide and seek! Don't you want to
keep winning?" The father grinned at his daughter and waited to see if she would
say anything before he continued. "How about this, I know some great hiding
spots beyond the gate. Do you want me to show you a few?"
Veronica thought about it for a moment and smiled at her dad.
"Okay, well let's get to it! Looks like your sister has already gone inside, how
about we go ahead and go look at those hiding spots before she comes back out
and finds them too?"
"Let's do it!" she replied. Veronica took her dad's hand as he led her to the edge
of the grass and through the white gate. I watched as they walked out of my sight
and vanished from the moving picture. I wanted them to come back, for me to
continue watching them. I had never seen anyone else; it had only ever been me,
the clearing, the wood, and the house.
Later that night I continued to think about what I saw beyond the gate and
wondered if the picture would be there the next day. Or if I would see something
Sugary Sea
Lauren DelBrocco
Metal Design
16
new. I went to bed wondering if there were many gates, many moving pictures,
other people even. Maybe someone, somewhere, is looking at me through the
moving pictures?
The next day I woke up, got dressed, made a fire, and took off into the clearing,
heading for the gate. I was not scared anymore, and the devilish branches that
made up the ceiling of the path did not seem as frightening as before. My pulse
quickened when I heard voices coming from the end of the path, so I hurried
towards them and felt elated and relieved when the light presented itself before
me and turned into a moving picture.
It was the same as before, but the scenery was different. The father and one of
his daughters, who I recognized as Beth, were sitting by a fireplace in their house.
They were playing with objects on the ground
that looked like miniature people. The dad was
undressing one of the miniatures and putting on
new items of clothing for them as the daughter
placed several of her miniatures inside a pink
toy that dragged against the carpet and moved
with the push of her hand.
A woman walked into the picture
carrying Veronica on her hip before she sat her
down on the floor beside her sister. I assumed it
was Veronica and Beth's mom.
17
360
Julienne Beblo
Ceramic
Presence
Kimberly Cusack
Mixed Medium
Often, we find ourselves disassociating from the real world. When we
spend time with friends and family it is easy to become wrapped up
in our own thoughts instead of living in the moment. While having times
of escapism and introspection is healthy, becoming trapped in our minds
creates a disconnect between us and the people we love. Presence is a
visual representation of this separation. A single face floats alone in the sky
illuminated by radiating golden beams resembling the sun. Although the
face is the centerpiece of the painting, it is distraught by its isolation. As the
face becomes more self-absorbed in its emotions the further it rises into the
sky eventually detaching from genuine connection completely.
Observation
Ronan Carver
Painting
20
What We do to Please Others
Amber Baggette
Printmaking
21
DECADENT to the Evil Eye
Lyric Lee
Photography
Veins
Ashton Burgess
Sculpture
An Angel's Judgement
ILLUSTRATION
TIANA ROBINSON
REJUVENATE
LA BAKER
VIEW
THIS
WAY
26
ILLUSTRATION
Through
the
window
VIEW
THIS
WAY
MORGAN ZICHETTELLA
PHOTOGRAPHY
27
ST.
IVORY
Kimberly Cusack
GA
RD
EN
OF
EDEN
TRENTON
JONES
PAINTING
GARDEN OF EDEN
Fried Sunny Side Up
DRAWING
TITILE
ARTIST
VISAGE
DRAWING
CHASE ALLEN
CATEGORY
UNTITLED
As a mixed-media artist, I am
influenced by a broad and
diverse range of sources; from
history to pop culture, social media,
music and film. My art consists of
painting, drawing and collage work
that I incorporate into provocative
images addressing the female psyche.
I subvert taboos on sexuality, the
nymph-like qualities of women and
turn them into statements on modern
feminism.
OLIVIA GRAVENESE
MIXED MEDIA
it is a process of control and letting
go of it. I often begin with a singular
found image from the internet or
printed material, a piece of music or
a clip from a film.
However, my experimental approach
allows for the work to develop
in multiple different conceptual
directions.
I've come to realize the value in
surprising even myself with the
work that I make. If I can envision a
work at the beginning, it might not
be worth making.
Through my work, I express social
issues regarding feminism. By
using different mediums, I copy,
paste and rewrite history on my
own terms. My style of work tends
to convey playful and satirical
messages on the subject of
current feminist issues. I want
to raise awareness about the
censorship of women throughout
history, and by doing this, I'm able
to gain a reaction from viewers
and make them consider why
some images might nowadays still
create shock value.
"WHEN I'M IN MY STUDIO, MY MIND WORKS
IN A WHIRLWIND. MY PROCESS INVOLVES
CUTTING AND PASTING PAPER, ORDERING
AND DISORDERING;"
Chelsea Pritchard - Illustration - Magical Garden
Adam Berman
Photo-lithographic Print - Aster Farms
38
Adam Berman - Photo-lithographic Print - Mint Farm
39
Adam Berman - Photo-lithographic Print - Pea Farm
WALKING THE COLD BEACHES OF MARCH
WADING IN KNEEISH DEPTH
WINTER WAVES LAPPING
HEADLONG
ONCE
BLOOD SPRINTING THROUGH THE TRAILS OF MIND
TWICE
SLUGGISHLY NUMB SINEW CONSTRICTING BREATH
FLOATING
FEELING
EVERYTHING THAT WANTED TO BE
SENSING
EVERYTHING THAT WANTED TO FEELEVERYTHING THAT WANTED TO FEEL
ALL OF LIFEALL OF LIFE
DRIFTING FURTHER FROM OBLIVION DRIFTING FURTHER FROM OBLIVION
DRAUGHTING DEEPLY THE SALT OF YOUTHDRAUGHTING DEEPLY THE SALT OF YOUTH
SALINITY IN LIFESALINITY IN LIFE
SWEAT OF THE EARTHSWEAT OF THE EARTH
BLOOD OF THE ANCIENTS BLOOD OF THE ANCIENTS
LUNGSLUNGS
UNWILLING TO COOPERATE UNWILLING TO COOPERATE
AFTER SEVENTY-FIVE MILES OF HILLSAFTER SEVENTY-FIVE MILES OF HILLS
NEW YEAR'S DAYNEW YEAR'S DAY
AN EKGAN EKG
TWO WHEELCHAIR RIDESTWO WHEELCHAIR RIDES
AN IVAN IV
SOME MEDICINE TO COUNTERACT ANOTHER MEDICINESOME MEDICINE TO COUNTERACT ANOTHER MEDICINE
THE SALINE WASN'T AS SALTYTHE SALINE WASN'T AS SALTY
AS THE ARMS OF THE SEAAS THE ARMS OF THE SEA
BUT LIFE JUST AS WELL
THE SANDS OF THE FUTURE EXIST WITHIN THE BLUFFS OF THE PAST
WHERE THE WAVES BREAK AND RECEDE INTO ETERNAL OSCILLATION
LEAVING FRESH FOAM TO REFLECT THE FULLNESS OF THE MOONLIGHT
THE PERPETUAL EXCHANGE OF TIME
WHERE THE NEW YEAR IS BORN
OMNI AETERNITATE FLUENS
JEREMIAH TECCA
POEM
Last Year
PHOTO
BY
GIANMARCO
CONCEPCI�N
ON
UNSPLASH
40
Blues For 2020
DAVID CICERONE
DRAWING
41
I feel as though this is not my body
I look in the mirror and see a body
I poke my stomach and feel my skin
I pull my lips and show my teeth
I lick my teeth and feel the bone underneath
I feel as though this is not my body
I look in the mirror and stare at my eyes
I stare 100 yards to see a glimpse of life
I never see it, there must be no life
I only have a system that keeps me alive
A heart, lungs, and anything else that resides
I take care of this body until it dies
Since the body has no life
Poetry - Ishara Mathews
Amber Baggette - Painting "One With Nature "
Amber Baggette - Printmaking - One With Nature
44
Joseph Tyler Williams - Photography - Orpheus's Entrance
Memoria
The morning rain and summer afternoons,
The endless fields and white night moon,
Chilling nights and cool days,
As time passes I can feel the waning haze,
The truth bares its teeth and growls its
discontent,
Her hairs stand on end as it projects lament,
The jagged marks bare her old memory,
Her red eyes remind me of the old world
so temporary,
Our nostalgia of listening to music and playing
games,
Peoples' old listless thoughts of summers rains,
Close your eyes and see if you recall,
The memories of last summer before it
turned to fall.
45
Robert Miranda - Poetry
Bird of Prey
Edwin Averette Photography
Apollo Decapitating the Cyclops
Anthony Naimo Photo Manipulation
Aliyah
Bonnette
aliyahbonnette.com
48
Textile - Not Your Angel Anymore
I paint people who look like me, Brown and Black people,
because we have been erased and silenced in the art world.
As a Black woman working and creating in predominantly
white institutions, I inescapably contribute to more diversity into
said institutions. My art is my activism. Using art as a platform
to speak on Black culture, history and the way society treats
African Americans as a whole, is a way for me to process my
generational trauma and to educate others.
Being a Black woman in America is a complex experience that
I am beginning to explore within my work. The intersectionality
of my personal experiences (being Black, femininity and
sexuality) are inextricable from my work and is always a part of
the conversation. The stereotypes and history of Black women
in America is of particular interest. The figures within my work are
real women living in comfortable environments that allow them
to be themselves and reveal their true nature.
49
Textile - Haint Vs Self Vs Justice Both
Graphic Design.
In the Fourth Year
Edwin Averette III
REBEL
Theater
Moon River Visual
Ishara Alexis
Short Film. pianist haunted by a painful
50
Vampires Don't Sparkle
Steven Taylor
Webseries. Vampires, hunters, and
doctors scramble to get the upper
hand.
To Watch
Scan Here
Short Film/Animation. A young
woman lives with an overactive
imagination.
This House Has Things
Hannah Avey
51
Notes on
ESCAPISM p2
This is Amurica
January 6th, 2021 Washington DC was swarmed by privileged escapist
as they marched on the Capital, inflamed by the (former) President of
the United States and a barrage of lies about election fraud. Individuals
proudly carrying racist and hateful symbols appropriated a form of protest
often utilized by marginalized, at-risk and oppressed minorities. Like most
forms of appropriation, this mob picked and chose information and tactics
most beneficial for them to implore out of context. They chanted "Stop the
Steal", while waving confederate flags and clapping on the one and three.
Yet, instead of a peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment, they
felt entitled to break barriers and ransack the very symbol of democracy
in America-the United States Capitol-destroying property, threatening
leaders and taking lives in the process. (All while taking selfies and boasting
about their exploits on social media.)
es�cap�ism
noun verb
1. the tendency to seek distraction and relief from
unpleasant realities, especially by seeking
entertainment or engaging in fantasy.
- Imani McCray, Production Staff
Copyright
Copyright 2021 REBEL Arts and Literary magazine and Student Media Board
of East Carolina University. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form electronic,
mechanic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of
East Carolina University Pirate Media 1.
Pirate Media 1 Student Staff
Magazine General Manager: Zo� Lukas
Production Manager & REBEL Editor-in-Chief: Rose Bogue
Assistant Production Manager: Celeste O'Brien
Multimedia Editor: Summer Tonizzo
Copy Chief: Jennifer Flippin
Designers: Frank Liu, Imani McCray
Writers: Allison Todd, Catherine Johnson, Reagan Blackburn
Pirate Media 1 Professional Staff
Interim Director: Cherie Speller
REBEL Adviser: Terrence Dove
Production Adviser: Annah Howell
Advertising & Marketing Adviser: Tim Davis
REBEL is published once a year by East Carolina University students at the
Pirate Media 1 Office, Mendenhall 113, Mail Stop 406, 1000 E 5th St, Greenville,
NC 27858-4353.
Opinions expressed herein are those of the student contributors and DO NOT
reflect those of the faculty, staff, administration of ECU, Student Media Board
nor the University of North Carolina System.
Thank You
To our contributors:
Thank you for choosing Rebel to display your work and allowing us all to
appreciate the talent you hold. You are the backbone of this publication.
During a time of monotony and darkness, your words and your art bring life
and beauty into the lives of so many. We urge you to continue to share your
work with us and to continue to use your voice for the good of others.
To Terrence Dove:
Thank you for your guidance and wisdom during the production of this
magazine. You inspire us to always create meaningful and impactful
publications and for that we are immensely thankful.
To Annah Howell:
Thank you for sharing your wisdom in design and urging us to always think outside
of the box. Your passion to create is contagious and your words are inspiring.
To Cherie Speller:
Thank you for the gracious direction that you always portray towards Pirate
Media 1 staff members. We are extremely grateful for your skill in newswriting
and that we get to learn those skills from you.
To Staff & Pirate Media 1:
Thank you for giving us a platform to express our passion for all forms of media. As
staff members we are extremely thankful for this community and the shared love
we all have to create. It is because of Pirate Media 1 that we have that opportunity.
Thank you to our writers, designers, managers and editors for your diligent work
and great enthusiasm to create powerful publications.
To Our Readers:
Thank you for taking the time to read our publication whether online or by
grabbing an issue at one of our stands around campus. We could not do what
we love without the support of our readers. To continue supporting us, follow
us on our social media accounts and our website. We would love to hear your
thoughts! Be on the lookout for our next issue of REBEL and if you were
inspired by this publication please consider contributing your work. Your
voice matters and we want to hear it.
REBEL
2021
SCAN FOR
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