The seventh issue of the Odist Magazine is out now 🎉🎉Read and share it with your readers. This time we have selected the works of only five writers to ensure a better standard for future issues. We have selected the works based on several factors ( New format and diversity are the two main factors). We hope you enjoy this issue and please let us know what you think about the selected writers in the comment section below. Make sure to join our mailing list by subscribing to the newsletter🥰
Kelly Riddle
Kelly Riddle is an internationally published author. Her first book ‘Noise’ was published in 2019. She is currently twenty years old and is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University in Boston pursuing a combined degree in behavioural neuroscience and philosophy.
Books: Noise (Kelly Riddle, 2019, Austin Macauley Publishers)
Other Publications: Because I F*cking Said So (2022, OTM Author Services), Horror Without Borders 2: Hidden Realms (2022, Horrorscope Press), Wee Driech Vol 4 (2021, Hybriddriech LTD), Upon Arrival: Hour Glass (2020, Eber & Wein Publishing), American High School Poets: of Faith and Love (2018, Poetry Society of NJ), Futures (2018, America Library of Poetry)
remember not to get
too close
to stars
like hearts
they’re all just little
flaming rocks
cheeks puffy
nails yellow
nostrils burned
i pray to the empty-stomach gods:
am i pretty yet?
- the gastric acid queen
In the beginning,
you were sad for me
so you loved me extra hard
because you knew i needed it.
in the thick of it,
you became frustrated
that you could not fix me
despite giving me everything.
and at the end,
you were unapologetic:
breaking up with me, saying:
go get a sharper knife.
- every love story featuring the girl with crimson wrists
some people grow flowers
and others sprout sin,
but appearance matters not:
it is what’s within.
Daisy A. B
Next, we have with us Daisy A.B. Let’s see what she has to say about her and read a few of her creative works.
Daisy A.B: “I'm a Philippine-based poet who's currently working on my debut book. My profession is not, in any way, linked to writing, more so poetry. But last year, I decided to pursue this dearest passion of mine hence the creation of my Instagram poetry account where I share my work and connect with like-minded individuals. My love for writing had always been inherent in me but I guess it grew deeper when I joined my grade school's newspaper publication and became the feature writer that later changed to editor-in-chief. When I'm not writing, I watch movies and series, develop my intuition with the help of tarot cards, listen to music or meditate. Some of the things that I love are a good cup of tea, gloomy weather, stargazing, hiking, shared meals with friends and camping. As I've mentioned earlier, I'm currently working on my debut book and I'm not sure if it's already published once this feature comes out.”
Daisy has recently released her debut book. Please purchase it from here: Dandelion in the Desert
I hope you meet your healing one day - when all the trees are green again, and you begin to find love in the fresh breeze of spring along with the glory of the morning sun; when life is not a game you have to survive anymore but a reality that everyone seems to picture as an illusion; when light touches your skin, at last, and food tastes like love, nourishment and joy; when you no longer hide because you can now finally embrace the torture of the past and turn it into something sweeter - because healing shouldn't taste bitter.
as bare as trees
all hopes withered
I bid farewell
a lament to winter.
mustering confidence
to brave the snow
white lies on white ice
I must ignore.
as cold as my hands
my life has been
walking on thin ice
between delusion and reality.
The wind sometimes talks
with a gentle tone
sometimes, it leaves me
frozen and alone.
unfavorable journey
warns the Universe
winter is coming
and so am I.
Always make time to give yourself a piece of serenity, a pause from the ever-moving wheel of life, a breath in between overthinking and cluelessness, a sincere period of recovery from all the mess in your head. Pay respects to the forgotten joy your body once couldn't live without. Better yet, re-discover what has been lost. Maybe, that's where your genuine smile lies, where your happiness begins again, where love has been waiting for you all this time.
It's a great night to fall in love
with life, a lover;
with stars, a passion;
with words, lessons;
with simply anything
that waters the garden
blooming inside your
beautiful soul;
that makes your heart sing
and smile at the same time;
that gives you a few more
reasons to feel alive.
Afsana Khatun
Afsana Khatun was born in the Land of Dawn Lit Mountains, in Arunachal Pradesh of India. Since her childhood, she has always been driven by a hope to prove herself through her work. During her school life, she came across her favourite author 'Jane Austen' her stories and ideologies have inspired her to move forward and believe in self-worth.
She had a passion for knowledge about nature and the natural beings on this planet which encouraged her to pursue her studies as a zoology major. Nature has always inspired her in many ways may it for her studies or her love for writing.
In this chaotic world, where people are bound to suppress themselves, writing has always been the medium of expression of her thoughts and inner emotions. She has always found peace while reading her favourite authors and hopes that her writing will also bring peace to someone else.
She has been nominated for India's top 100 authors and researchers and is also selected for the second round of India's prime icon.
I'm here all alone, even after bein' with you
I know you are there for me yet I feel lost
I don't know when this silence;
yet the emptiness comes to an end and fades away the distances.
Not for a moment or two;
I want be with you for the rest of my life.
Make a promise of not going away,
By holding my hands tight.
Come closer and erase this emptiness:
Let's spend few memories of happiness,
make each other complete,
by erasing our sadness.
- SEARCHING THE SOLACE
Marrium Mushtaq
“I am working in NayaPay (Private) Limited, one of the fastest-growing FinTech in Pakistan. Along with that, I have worked as a mentor for various programs initiated by different organizations. I have always enjoyed my work because this way I can give participants a renewed self-confidence for their everyday life.
I love what I do because instilling hope in people’s minds and giving them the courage to move forward is what I have figured out to be the most important essence in a world filled with negative vibes coming from different directions. Now either we succumb to these undesirable vibes or battle them till reaching the victory point. This is what I am required to do when I am in charge of the stage. In short, amid the unwanted factors around, I am the agent of positivity.
But the time other than at the podium is what keeps me going on. I have a keen interest in reading random books, especially the one that suggests tips about self-improving. I also like to hold on to autobiographies because I have a knack for seeing the world from the prism of people’s experiences.
However, with so much flavor in life still, there was one ingredient missing to make life more appealing and that missing ingredient is writing poetries or thoughts from my everyday experiences.
As mentioned above that I love being on the podium but not every time you are on the stage. Hence delivering thoughts via poetries and story writings is another thing that keeps me going and driven. If I am not penning down my thoughts and ideas, then this is equivalent to being a stalemate and to be not in motion is not my cup of tea.
Sometimes you want to do things only for the sake of pure love and it is impartial between success and failure. Real success is automatically itself that you take out time for the thing you want to do. I usually get ideas and inspiration even from the smallest of things. In short, it will be right to say that whatever I pen down, I am in a different world. Because sitting on a couch along with a hot cup of coffee next to me makes me very much feel like myself in the truest form.
It drives me when I get appreciation messages from readers.”
Judging Humanity
“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.” Earl Nightingale
This quote sums it up all. Judging is easy and doesn’t require much thinking or reasoning. Our brains are wired to make automatic judgments about others’ behaviors so that we can move through the world without spending much time or energy understanding everything we see.
The one being judged is crushed out in the blender and the people out there enjoy the show, without even thinking about what the other person is going through. When things are constantly changing and shifting around, you feel insecure about who you are. The Pain, the stress, the anxiety, the weight loss, and whatnot…
Sadly, the society we live in is more powerful to spread negativity – they just don’t realize how far one has come, all that they have endured and made it through – Who they currently are and what are they becoming. Understanding is harder as it requires deep thinking, patience, compassion, and an open mind.
The journey of hardships and resistance is untiring and unstoppable one. The commitment to becoming a better version, the commitment to embrace the uniqueness, to accept flaws within, and express openly and passionately. And these times will serve the stronger self and reminds us about the resilient, powerful, and capable the one truly is.
And the ones judging you out there are incapable of comprehending your growth and seeing how far you’ve come. They may attempt to resurrect an old version of you! But there is so much depth to who you’re and the layers you have within, that is not defined by a single trait, weakness, or experience.
Sometimes you must take a step back and take time away from the things in your life that provide false perceptions and unrealistic expectations, to refuse to compare the full picture of your life to the selective segments that others share. People who may appear as overnight successes often went through a long and arduous journey and process. To get to the place where they now are. That we all come from different backgrounds and possess unique voices and stories that we have all been affected differently by life and some of us may still be healing, growing, and transforming.
That no person’s life path is the same so it is futile to compare your story to another’s or the current chapter of your life to the final chapter of someone else’s. That happiness is not found in a career, achievement, or relationship, or what you choose to project externally to the world, but through following your path and appreciating your life fully in the present. And while there will be a sea of surrounding opinions and judgments about you, the one that matters the most is your own!
And that when you compare your life with another person's, ‘You lose touch with the magic of your own.’
Roonaq Fayaz
Roonaq Fayaz is a student at Aligarh Muslim University. A dweller of Kashmir Valley. She has a preference for embarking on new things and writing is one of those things. Her writing journey started at the age of 16 when she felt the craving to have something to put forward her perceptions. After Co-authoring more than 35 books. She came up with her debut book "With a trembling Pen".
She doesn't call herself a true writer but a paper worm, who writes for her amusement. Her writings are not bound to any specific issue or any other topic. She writes her feelings. Whatever she likes and feels, she jots it down. Taking less care of, how the world would take her manuscripts.
She believes, "When words vanish, there starts the journey of Pen."
All that I show off,
Is a bargained art.
I wear that delighting crown,
Just to hide my flaws.
Every phrase I write,
Has a bunch of reasons to be engraved.
Every time I write a poem reviving the yore.
I strive to forget my past.
There is an anonymous yearning,
To find my lost existence.
An unknown sentiment.
That makes me feel caged.
You need not be afraid to live.
The planet is blessed to have you.
Yes, you deserve heights.
But you do a favour by residing here.
Don't listen to any hector.
Your sovereignty keeps the earth going.Who told you that you can't get enough.
Who said you not worth to be loved.
Who calls you dupe.
Shut up, you know nothing. Who said that?
Have they ever shattered a drop of tear for being themselves?
Did they ever got terrified to go out?
They never felt ashamed of their outlook.Considered to be an emotional fool,
but hey!
You carry the world within.
You tend to be crazy but you know how to run one's world.
Created by the best Creator.
How could you not be worth it all?
Stop whimpering gorgeous,
The world doesn't deserve your cries.