She took me by surprise as she said hello. The cafe she had picked was small. Busy. Her hair was short and black, cut right above her shoulders.
Author: Alyssa Zhang
“You want me to try? I can’t try for something I don’t believe in. It is this kind of Western world that has ruined you. You are so pretty, baobei, smart, too. You’re just sick. If I raised you in China, this wouldn’t have happened to you,”
On December 13th, 2023, I embarked on a deep dive into my Instagram archives. I scrolled through countless […]
It was selfish, my assumption that everything would stay right where I left it. There is nothing that can take the last 18 years from me. But I have to loosen my grip. I have to let home change. I have to carry it with me.
The pre-college breakup of high school sweethearts almost seems like a rite of passage. But that doesn’t mean it hurts any less.
Now, when I think of my dad, I don’t really think of the horseback rider, or pilot, or King of China. I just think of these things. Things that make him human. Things I really love.
As I sit on this bench and watch the cars pass, I am suddenly no longer a myth, a legend, a king rolling a rock up a hill. I am a girl packing her life into cardboard boxes in anticipation of leaving everything she’s ever known behind.
When baba cooks, he always slices the fatty parts off of the meat
When my older sister was born, she had a condition called neonatal jaundice. She came out with a […]
Author’s Note: this is possibly the most vulnerable thing I have ever written on the internet, and I think that’s saying a lot—especially for me. My near-death experiences, relationship drama, and connection with my culture have all been aired for the public to see. But this, this feels scarier. This feels different.
I am painting a master’s study. It’s Caravaggio; a beautiful oil blend with classical romanticism undertones and dark, […]
As I sit on the red velvet couch of my friend’s apartment, I notice the opulence of it […]
(please note, I use the word love very loosely) August. I love August. I love the way the […]
For as long as I can remember, my writing has been inexorably intertwined with my life. The “notes” app on my cellphone is bursting at its seams with locked letters of love, hardship and poetry. The people in my life have all made it into my writing, one way or another, whether it be in the lessons that they have taught me, the beautiful experiences we have shared, or even in powerful excerpts of conversations we have spoken. I have even found comfort in the most gut wrenching of moments by using my experiences as writing prompts. With this magazine, I hope to provide a platform for writers and artists to share their creativity. At their most jovial, angry, raw or euphoric - we want it all.
Welcome to BrainScramble.
Alyssa Zhang
“Maomao, don’t be such a Màoshīguǐ.” My mother said. Màoshīguǐ is Mandarin for “Daredevil”, a reckless person who […]
Yellow was my favourite colour. I splashed my bedroom walls with it, despite my parents’ best protests. I […]