APPLES is a space for contributing writers to bring us their expression and art.

No knowledge is forbidden here.

NAJEE AR FAREED 9/11/24 NAJEE AR FAREED 9/11/24

Stairway To Heaven: Dream Logic vs. Mythological Reclamation [How to Explain A World]

What inspired my upcoming novel and how did I come to organize those influences? There's a trickster spider in my head. This may be an exercise in futility.

published September 11, 2024

NAJEE AR FAREED 5/19/24 NAJEE AR FAREED 5/19/24

leap years, almost three months, some days

I have not been crying lately. Why not? tick tick tick tick

published May 19, 2024

NAJEE AR FAREED 3/4/24 NAJEE AR FAREED 3/4/24

pilot light

I kept a diary (?) during my three weeks in Europe, thoughts and such inspired by Wes Anderson, James Baldwin, Anthony Bourdain, new experiences, Roman food, and the Parisian sunset.

published March 4, 2024

NAJEE AR FAREED 6/13/23 NAJEE AR FAREED 6/13/23

Foreign Chaos [COP’s CITY/COP CITY]

Atlanta Police Foundation just received additional city funding for a “Cop City” they’re building to further subjugate our community rather than uplift us. It’s a travesty. This is an emotional response. RIP Rayshard Brooks.

published June 13, 2023

CORDELL JONES 5/24/23 CORDELL JONES 5/24/23

ART EATS WORLD

What’s art doing in Tally and do these people have something to say with it? Are you ready to listen? Cordell Jones explores his journey amidst FAMU’s burgeoning art scene as an outsider.

published May 24, 2023

FATOU "Nada" BESSEM 5/20/23 FATOU "Nada" BESSEM 5/20/23

Black Pomegranate

Pomegranates have often been used as symbols of femininity and virginity throughout art history. Sparked by a vision on Senegalese beach, Bessem reflects on the history of the pomegranate in art in relation to black womanhood.

published May 20, 2023

NAJEE AR FAREED 3/20/23 NAJEE AR FAREED 3/20/23

WHITE LIGHTERS: notes on memory, death, growth, and being 26

A public birthday card for my parents and me, from me. Sorry for cursing Momma.

published March 20, 2023

CAMILLE GODFREY 2/4/23 CAMILLE GODFREY 2/4/23

THE BEAUTY OF SAMPLING

Sampling is an art form that isn’t just a pillar of Hip Hop, but possibly its heart. Camille Godfrey interrogates how sampling bridges the gaps between generations and why it is beautiful.

published February 4, 2023

NAJEE AR FAREED 12/22/22 NAJEE AR FAREED 12/22/22

HOW WE SAVE THE WORLD

Najee AR Fareed looks for ways to save the world, a question and an answer that drives at the very nature of our being. Cover Story from “Kingdom Come” issue of TRIBE MAG.

published December 22, 2022

DANIELLA NDUBUISI-IKE 12/22/22 DANIELLA NDUBUISI-IKE 12/22/22

Bleeding Heart/Just What Happens

Daniella Ndubuisi-Ike collects thoughts about her becoming and the freedom of being, lands at place of understanding. Poem selected from “Kingdom Come” Issue of TRIBE MAG.

published December 22, 2022

NAJEE AR FAREED 11/13/22 NAJEE AR FAREED 11/13/22

DEAR NIGGAS (letter for the black man)

This is a love letter and a wake up call to black men. It’s time to treat ourselves better and our women better. I remain all of us. RIP Takeoff.

published November 13, 2022

KING 9/10/22 KING 9/10/22

DEAR CRONUS

King Hood is trapped in time and he’s fighting to get out. An ode to the moment’s lost forever and what we gain from them.

published September 10, 2022

KAREEM FOFANA 8/11/22 KAREEM FOFANA 8/11/22

THE WINTER PRODUCTION

Kareem Fofana’s epic winter 2021 playlist is framed with the emotional context of Kareem’s life and what he learned while listening to the music.

published August 11, 2022

CAMILLE GODFREY 8/8/22 CAMILLE GODFREY 8/8/22

HOWTOAPOLOGIZETOYOURSELF

An apology is a type of death. Happiness is a sacrifice. Camille Godfrey writes through the process of dying and rebirth in the name of self-love on the eve of her 19th birthday.

published August 8, 2022

SHAKIYA ✰ 7/22/22 SHAKIYA ✰ 7/22/22

WHO WILL CRY FOR THE LITTLE GIRL?

Shakiya writes through the mental landscape of her assault, how she carried the weight of her trauma, and how she went on to defeat everything: her circumstance, her fear, her anxiety, and her assailant. The little girl cries but she dreams as well.

published July 22, 2022