issue one, round two q&a: no one belongs here more than boobs

welcome back to the most awkward part of your week, where you learn too much about our issue one contributors. same weird questions, different weird ladies. ready? let's do it.

this week, get uncomfortable with:

Christina Wolfgram, Molly CrannaYuiko Sugino, Alex MartinBecky May, Taylor Evelyn Yates.


what's a food or food combination you love that most people find appalling?

CW: I’ve heard one too many closed-minded people say that refried beans look like poop. I love refried beans forever, so those people are no longer in my life.

MC: cottage cheese on corn chips. ketchup on raw mushrooms.

YS: coffee ice cream with Japanese rice crackers sprinkled on top. I haven't had it since I was in elementary school…maybe it’s time I try it again.

AM: I eat cold food that should never be eaten cold. spaghetti, split pea soup, ravioli, any casserole. I’ve been told [by my brother] that this is mildly revolting. and  lazy. but I like to think I’m efficient and low-maintenance and practicing for survival in the wild, just in case.  

BM: I’m not a vegetarian, but sometimes I like to eat meat substitutes. I buy “Meatless Crumbles” and add them to pasta or anything that ground beef would be used in. it’s not really appalling, but the name is a bit off-putting to some…or many.

TEY: you know, I like to eat. people will ask me if I’m on a diet and I’ll refer to the old “see food diet” joke. my mom conditioned me for that joke. anyway, I’m not very controversial with foods but I very much enjoy peanut butter with ramen noodles. put the seasoning packet in there, a little sriracha, a spoonful of peanut butter, and you’re all set. but I do happen to despise and distrust people who eat eggs with ketchup.

what's one word you used to mispronounce or misspell for far longer than socially acceptable?

CW: too many to name. once, I read that F. Scott Fitzgerald was a really horrific speller, and some of the first editions of his books are filled with missed mistakes—that freed me from feeling “self-concious” about my “vocabulery.”

MC: rather than “for all intents and purposes,” I said “for all intensive purposes” until about yesterday. pretty sure my way makes a ton of sense, though.

YS: I’ve always been embarrassed about spelling the word embarrassing. gotta keep in mind the double R’s, double S’s. in terms of incorrect pronunciation, I’ve had a tendency to say endeavor with a French intonation, like ahn-deh-vour. you have no idea how difficult it was for me to converse with people on the day that space shuttle was being transported to the California Science Center.

AM: my brother and I both used to pronounce better as if it had a “th” in there. yes, “bether.” I don’t know, we’re Southern. it’s okay though, we both got “bether.”

BM: thanks to my mother, I tend to pronounce wash as “warsh.” I think it’s a St. Louis thing. after moving to LA, I also realized pho was not pronounced like foe. I occasionally will say it like this and it’s really embarrassing since it’s one of my favorite foods now.

TEY: one of many, the word “suceptable,” sorry I mean susceptible. I can never spell it, I am susceptible to spelling incorrectly always. 

the female equivalent of boxers or briefs: padded, demi, or unlined?

CW: I only recently realized I’m comfortable enough with my body and fashion choices to wear unlined bras, and they are my new “thang.” also, huge bonus, they are cheaper than padded bras.

MC: I’m partial to breastfeeding bras. (jk, kinda…) I just found an underwire bra in my collection that’s been looking real good, but I’m usually a no-lining girl.

YS: I wish I could go braless all the time. that sense of freedom is one of life’s best feelings and simple pleasures for me. but since I do need that occasional support, a demi is probably best for my twins.

AM: padded! I (my girls) get by with a little help from my friends. er, Betsy Johnson. or you know, a sports bra. what would we do without the sports bra??

BM: I’ve come to terms with the fact that my boobs are extremely small, so I try not to kid myself with padded bras. honestly, I prefer to wear nothing when I can get away with it.

TEY: just go full nude. no panties, sleep in the outfit you were born in, free vag. 

if you could only read one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

CW: I reread two books every year: Ella Enchanted and Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. I’d be fine with rereading those masterpieces every day, if necessary.

MC: No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July.

YS: reading comprehension and writing have always been my weakest subjects in school, which is probably why I made my way to visual presentation instead. it may seem silly but I must say, one of the many inspiring illustrated books I’ve read as a child—and still makes me laugh to this day—is Tuesday by David Wiesner. the artwork is beautifully realistic, and the humor is deliciously sensational. if you have never read it, check it out! you will not be disappointed.

AM: Annie Dillard! Annie Dillard Annie Dillard Annie Dillard. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, or anything that woman has written or breathed upon.

BM: my dad’s journal—he started keeping them for my brother and me once we were adopted. it jumps around from birthdays to first days of school, but it’s a nice memory of him.

TEY: VIRGINIA WOOLF. VIRGINIA WOOLF. VIRGINIA WOOLF.