Author: Olivia Blanton

Given their incredible work, it’s time our editorial staff gets to sit in the spotlight. The Aura Review staff recently had our layout meeting this past Saturday, and we’re so excited to share our next volume with our readers! This is one of the best magazines we have ever produced and it would not have been possible without the astounding work done by our staff. Our editorial team is headed by Kafui Sakyi-Addo as Submissions Editor. Under Kafui is Caylin Kyzer as our Poetry Editor, Kaitlin Harris as our Prose Editor, and Elena Chesnokova as our Art Editor. Week after…

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Art is not something to be viewed; rather, it is something to be experienced. We can look at a painting, but we can also listen to music, touch a sculpture, or even taste a hand-made dish. At the point of connection, art begins to defy its physical boundaries; it becomes a point of contact for those who experience it and the background in which it lies. In other words, art is ephemeral, and reflects just as much about its surroundings as it does any audience. Tracing through any of the vast city blocks of Birmingham, Alabama, one must wonder how…

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I don’t know what you did last Wednesday night, but if you weren’t at the “True Colors” art show, you missed out. In the span of a short hour, seven incredible works of art and one outstanding piece of flash fiction captivated our audience and produced incredible analysis and dialogue. The creators used a variant of artistic mediums—including some that most of us hadn’t even heard of (I’m looking at you, cyanotype)—which kept the audience and presenters alike fascinated at their craft. One of the most interesting parts of the presentation was the way it was organized: our lovely Editor-In-Chief—Ashley…

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You’re not going to want to forget this. To celebrate LGBTQ+ narratives, Aura, in collaboration with Queer Peers, is hosting the virtual “True Colors” art show from 6:00-7:00pm next Wednesday, 11/3. Anyone is welcome to attend but if you would like your work to be featured, submissions close this Friday, 10/29. Artists will also have the opportunity to speak on their piece during the show. We hope to see you there!

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Greetings all! Our art project for the Coming Out on the Green celebration went fantastic! Over 50 participants added their handprints to our canvas that you can now view in the Student Diversity and Multicultural Programs (SMDP) office in the Hill Student Center. If you can’t make it to the Hill, check out the photograph to the left to see our piece! This project was part of a larger effort between UAB student organizations to highlight LGBTQ+ narratives through a week-long celebration which culminated in a Drag Ball this past Friday night. Follow along as we participate in more activities…

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Well folks…we did it. After seven hours of trash collection, thirteen-and-a-half hours of building, three written articles, thirteen Instagram posts from four different organizations, and several months, our trash sculpture project is complete. Whew. This past Thursday, September 30th, our sculptures were officially installed in their new homes on UAB’s campus—the Solar House, the Sterne Library, and University Hall—and they look GORGEOUS! On the following Tuesday, October 5th, we invited all members from each participating organization—Aura (of course), Green Initiative, Green Globe, Sustain UAB, and the Social Justice Advocacy Council—as well as officials from each building listed above to attend…

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Want to be a part of a campus-wide art project? We are taking part in UAB’s “Coming Out on the Green” celebration by creating a volunteer based art project which celebrates LGBTQ+ narratives. This will be done in the form of rainbow-painted handprints on canvas. We hope to hang this piece for all of UAB to view! If you would like to have a hand in this project (pun intended), come visit Aura on the campus green on Tuesday, October 12th from 3-5pm. …

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