When you ban books for a second, you ban the pursuit of knowledge for a century. Books are the cornerstone of human connection. When people connect with each other’s stories, they learn to empathize, and when they empathize, it is easier for them to accept new knowledge. This is why, when Americans decide to carry …
Book tropes describe a variety of recurring plot devices, character archetypes, and themes that are written consistently enough to become recognizable by readers and warrant their own names. While they are not necessarily a new phenomenon, their influence has certainly grown with the rise of social media. They’ve become a powerful marketing tool for authors …
I remember the first time I ever read Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven. I had grown to admire Niven after she released All the Bright Places, and so when I found out that she was releasing a new novel, I was ecstatic. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting at the time, …
When we began our work on the 2022 issue of The Broken Plate, we set out with the goal of examining and understanding the fragility and complexity of the human condition. We were allowed the opportunity to glimpse into the stories of others, to walk around in their minds and look at the world from …
It was a combination of things that led Ashley C Ford to choose Ball State for college. “I chose Ball State partly because I thought it was beautiful, partly because it felt far enough away from my family that I could sort of be whoever I wanted but not so far that I couldn’t get …
At The Broken Plate, the strife that accompanies being human is something we value greatly. Often, themes of fragility and the presence of various inner demons appear in ghost stories. There is strife from things like Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House to shows like The Haunting of Bly Manor, where there is the …
In this week’s blog, I want to discuss one of my favorite novels from my childhood that still continues to be one of my all-time favorites as well! Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz is a novel that discusses two boys growing up in El Paso, Texas over the course …
The Broken Plate is a literary magazine that seeks to uplift and talk about voices that often go unrepresented.. We want to draw attention to these voices and the people behind them as well as the lives that have shaped them. In Heavy: an American Memoir, Kiese Laymon talks about his life and his experiences. …
The Broken Plate is a literary magazine that looks into the fragility of human lives and how, over time, people grow and pick these pieces up to become stronger than before. This idea of slowly growing and developing over time is a common theme in many novels, and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is not exempt from …
It’s safe to say the human condition is a rich source of multi-faceted, in-depth exploration. We’re constantly struggling to make sense of ourselves, those around us and the things that tie us together. Writing is a powerful way to explore these concepts and experiences which shape us and our understanding of the world. The Broken Plate is dedicated to providing a platform for those different voices. One thing I always …
When I placed Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree on my Christmas list, I was unaware that its page count surpassed 800, oblivious of its maps and timeline, ignorant of the glossary and character index. I also did not anticipate the companionship and thrilling escapism the novel would provide me. I first happened …
The Broken Plate is a literary magazine that seeks to provide a platform for individual stories. Each individual has a story, and we live in a society that privileges certain stories over others. This is true, especially in the literary world. However, The Broken Plate seeks to combat this by amplifying voices with particular attention …
