Brianna Fairman

Editor-in-Chief, Lunar Literary Magazine

SHIFTER MAG •

Q&A: Kyle Lukoff on 'Too Bright to See' and Writing Transness

Earlier this month, I spent a morning speaking with Stonewall Award-winning children's author Kyle Lukoff. We discussed his debut middle-grade novel, Too Bright to See, dealing with transphobic readers and the art of writing queer fiction.

Too Bright to See (2021) is a middle-grade novel about a young transgender boy named Bug. It's the summer before he and his best friend, Moira, begin middle school. While Moira is stressing over makeup, crushes, and wanting to reinvent herself, Bug is preoccu
SHIFTER MAG •

5 Booktok Reads That Are Actually Worth the Hype

BookTok — for those of you who aren't quite Gen-Z enough to know, is a subset of TikTok where people rant and rave about their favorite books — is a weird and incredible place that is able to make or break a book. A ton of the titles that are recommended are great, and just as many suck. And since I should probably put my English degree to use for something, here's a list of a few BookTok reads that are actually worth the hype.

1. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (2021), ★★★★★

For 23-year-old
SHIFTER MAG •

20 Books to Read in Your 20s

It’s raining just slightly, meaning your curls will frizz into an ungodly mess before your morning bus has even pulled up to the curb. There’s a hopefully unnoticeable coffee stain right below your collar, and as you triple-check your tote bag for your keys and slightly-cracked phone, it hits you with sudden clarity that the internship you’ve been fretting over all morning is not, in fact, a paid gig.

Welcome to your twenties.

As the great Miss Swift sang, being a 20-something is miserable and
SHIFTER MAG •

Welcome to Harriett’s, Philly’s Newest Indie Bookshop

Content warning: This article contains mentions of threats of death and rape. Reader discretion is advised.

For Jeannine Cook, founder of – Philadelphia’s newest black-owned indie bookshop – books are an essential part of life.

“Literally, [books] are like food for the brain. And I thought that what better gift to offer the world than that?” Cook said. "Food for the brain, a place for dialogue, a place for conversation, a place for peaceable disagreement, a place for questioning, and conversat
SHIFTER MAG •

The Dark Reality of Rainbow Capitalism

In 2019, I went to my very first Pride celebration. Nervous about the day’s 100-degree heat and the overwhelming likelihood of leaving with a sunburn, I popped into Target in search of a hat, or at least some extra SPF.

Rather than the usual assortment of crop tops and borderline-translucent leggings, the clothing section was a sea of rainbows. Tulle skirts in bright colors filled the racks. Rainbow flags were slapped across the backs of denim jackets, paired rather appropriately with t-shirts
SHIFTER MAG •

Nikita Dragun Responds to Transphobic Comments from Influencer Taylor Caniff

: This article contains mentions of transphobia, misgendering and harmful language toward trans folks. If you or a loved one are transgender and in need of help, contact PFLAG's Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860.

YouTuber Nikita Dragun took to social media on June 15 in response to transphobic comments directed at her by influencer Taylor Caniff earlier that day.

Caniff had filmed Dragun being escorted into a car by a male friend. In the video, Caniff said Dragun’s friend was “down bad” for “ho
The Temple News •

Maya's Bites bakery whips up business and batter

Maya Kaplan plans to turn her baking business into a career through pastry school.

As a teenager in Sherborn, Massachusetts, Maya Kaplan spent her Saturdays pacing the baking aisles of her local A.C. Moore, clutching the company’s weekly coupons and hunting for new additions to her ever-growing collection of cookie cutters, frosting tips and cake pans.


“If you walk into my room, it’s just baking supplies,” said Kaplan, a 2020 public relations alumna.


Kaplan founded Maya’s Bites, a baked
The Temple News •

Students should help save the arts

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, Philadelphia’s concert halls and theaters will remain empty through the rest of 2020, which means that with nowhere to safely perform in person, music artists will continue to struggle to stay afloat.


Public and private indoor gatherings of any size between members of different households in Philadelphia will be banned until at least Jan. 1, the city announced Monday, The Temple News reported.


The Mann Center, an outdoor venue in Fairmount Park, cancelled
The Temple News •

The body positivity movement isn't for me

Growing up, I didn’t particularly like my appearance. If I wasn’t upset with my body, then it was my hair, skin or face I found fault with, and so on and so forth in a never-ending cycle of self-judgement.


Thinking back to my adolescence, I remember looking at others with envy, wishing I could somehow trade my body for theirs.


When I was 17, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder common among individuals with female reproductive systems of childbearing age. Sy