Mask

‘Mask’ derives variously from the mid 16th century French masque, from Italian maschera, mascara, probably from medieval Latin masca, ‘witch, spectre’ but influenced by Arabic maskara, ‘buffoon’ (Wordflex app 1998–2008, using Oxford Dictionary data ).

It is a word with widespread interpretation and meaning. It encapsulates all seven previous Not Very Quiet issues and still leaves scope for new ideas and explorations in Issue 8.

‘Mask’ has special resonance in gender discourses, and of course, has a special meaning in 2020 images of bushfire smoke and the pandemic.

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Contents

Introduction Sandra Renew and Moya Pacey
Puppet show Ariella Tania Amanda
Uranus Athena Anasiou
this autistic guise Oakley Ayden
A thousand ships Daisy Bassen
Somebody, somebody is remembering me Fleur Lyamuya Beaupert
Cross country Liz Bennett
Out in the open Devika  Brendon
The art of costume Michelle Brock
Talk to me Elizabeth Burnam
Wave your hand Gayelene Carbis
An ode to the most coveted machine in pandemic America Eleanor Python Colligan
The hair salon Lisa Collyer
Social distancing from ghosts PS Cottier
The next spike Mary Cresswell
Our daily tread Jane Downing
experimental love poem Ema Dumitriu
A feast of a wardrobe Natasha Dust
Table 4 – 2 there Amelia C. Eilertsen
Spring Purples with Coast Tea Tree and Golden Wattle Anne Elvey
In half light Diane Fahey
hegemony Molly Fessler
masque Ellie Fisher
Day of the Dead Jane Frank
Mr and Mrs and Ms Lara Frankena
Hero (Boy Wonder) Jen George
Boquila Trifoliolata in Chilean Rainforest Lynne Goldsmith
i haven’t Ash Good
Noh Hazel Hall
A haunting Dominique Hecq
hidden in the layers Kathleen Hellen
Siren Elizabeth Holland
Faking it Lesh Karan
After donating blood Penelope Layland
The crystal masks of Lynette and Donald Kate Lumley
Facial action coding at the supermarket Jacqui Malins
The violin player Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello
To write a march Laleh Marvasti
Mask Sadie Maskery
One bright summer’s day on Chicago’s South Side Erin McDonough
Costume party Leslie Ann Minot
Gazelle Rosalind Moran
Marie Curie records in her notebook Anita Mortlock
Dark space Lizz Murphy
Indian mynas Laila Nawsheen
Middle school youth group sex ed Riley O’Connell
A look that won’t catch on Denise O’Hagan
This year’s photo Rosa O’Kane
the space within a touch Yvonne G. Patterson
Eclosion Mandira Pattnaik
White fragility Indrani Perera
watercolors A. Pikovsky
And forgets to be ashamed of making the wrong step Meredith Pitt
I am doing yoga in a graveyard Therese Pokorney
Le Stryge – Notre Dame de Paris, April 2020 Vanessa Proctor
dystopia. manda propaganda.
A mask of water Bethany Reid
Masked Sarah Rice
Noli me tangere Marka Rifat
Unmasked and masked Jacquelyn Shah
Well past midnight Laura Jan Shore
How to make your own face mask Sara Jeanine Smith
Transient error R. Stempel
Waiting room – radiation oncology Carmel Summers
What it means to be a woman in the South Anna Swearingen
My father’s mask Robyn Sykes
No matter how much skin I lose I am always the same body Heather Taylor-Johnson
Silence Julia Park Tracey
Huhu Sophia Wilson
Circe Jena Woodhouse
Blog: [#i n t h e n a m e o f l i b e r t y] Janet Jiahui Wu

From the NVQ editors

Encomium hymenopus coronatus Anne Casey
Postcard from Bondi, 3 January 2021 K A Nelson
Cocky’s Joy Anita Patel
Knitting for insomniacs Moya Pacey
No place is safe for queer people Sandra Renew