Literary Arts Archives

Austin Restoration Ministries: How a Lack of Nonprofit Transparency Harms the Homeless

AYAU Journalism
January 9, 2020
Community Impact / Journalism / News / Politics / Uncategorized

Austin’s homelessness problem is rampant and where the city’s efforts to alleviate the issue fall short, non-profit organizations often step in to pick up the slack. One such organization, Austin Restoration Ministries (ARM), is well-known among many Austinites for their practice of panhandling at street intersections. But while they are visible, little is known about the inner workings of the organization. On the surface they seem to be an innocuous religious nonprofit, but there could be much more to the ministry than meets the eye.

Re-examining History with the Romans

AYAU Journalism
December 29, 2019
Politics / Education / Op-Eds / Research Paper

Why do we resonate so much with Rome’s Republic––a Republic which barely resembles our own, and a Republic that fractured after a century of civil war and was then diluted to symbolism for the rest of its imperial history? The answer is simple, and it doesn’t just pertain to Rome.

Impeachment Reaches Fever Pitch in Austin, TX:

AYAU Journalism
December 18, 2019
Politics / Journalism

Austinites gathered in front of City Hall on the evening of December 17 in support of President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Demonstrators carrying signs and waving banners flooded the outdoor plaza and the sidewalk, chanting slogans and criticizing the president to the tune of Christmas carols.

Illustration by Ash Catalan.

To Live in A World

AYAU Staff
December 8, 2019
Poetry / Literary Arts / Politics

A poem by Akins student and AYAU performing arts editor Alaina Nesby on being young in today's political climate.

Taken from UT News

Gentrification: Why We Shouldn’t Fight Progress

An op-ed by Jonah Pierce "Gentrification— It is a word that is tossed around venomously at the first sign of development...

The Fight for Equality

naranshett
November 11, 2019
Literary Arts / Poetry / Politics

A poem by Ellie Greer on feminism: "Toxic words. False representations. They permeate the depths of society, tainting the image of 'feminist.' Equivalent to the cruelest of words. The harshest of insults. Media has twisted the very foundation of gender equality so that it amounts to nothing more than man-hating radicals."

Something Like Nostalgia

naranshett
November 11, 2019
Literary Arts / Poetry

A poem by Kate Hirschfeld: "I went through a period of time where a lot of the poetry I wrote had a nostalgic tone. This is one of those poems, but rather than writing nostalgically about the past it’s about the present moment."

Only For a Moment:

naranshett
November 11, 2019
Literary Arts / Poetry

A poem by Kate Hirschfeld: "This poem was inspired by the moment right after the end of the movie Lady Bird. It just felt like time stopped and it kinda took my breath away for a second."

Reaching Nonetheless

AYAU Staff
November 11, 2019
Literary Arts / Poetry

A poem by Kate Hirschfeld. "This poem was inspired by an instance when I dropped a glass in my kitchen and my entire family (and all of my pets) came from across the house to see what happened and if everything was okay. It was a weird moment but I thought it was beautiful in how it showed the innate instinctual compassion and care in people."

Photo by Muliadi Soenaryo. Taken from the original Trib Talk article.

Sex Ed Should Educate Teens About Sex, Right?

AYAU Staff
November 1, 2019
Op-Eds / Politics

An op-ed by Gaya Rajamony. "My experience with sex ed in public school was terrible. It was held in the worst-smelling gym imaginable, and every five minutes during the uncomfortable presentation, someone would giggle or groan. But the worst part is that it taught me nothing about sex. Sure, I learned what a uterus looks like, but I didn’t know the mechanics of sex, how to prevent disease or how to avoid teen pregnancy. In fact, most of my sex education came from the internet, as I googled terms the kids at my middle school threw around."