The Flytrap

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Two Afropunk attendees, a Black man wearing iridescent pasties and a Black woman with green hair and a striped black and white top.

Who Owns Afropunk?

Once a DIY passion project, Afropunk has strayed from its Black roots. Can the festival escape colonization?

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: Mother, I Crave Violence

How do I...legally and ethically...get revenge?

An illustration of a Greek goddess holding a pitcher of nectar, next to a still of Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

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The Futile Pursuit (and Heroic Rejection) of Immortality

There are few things more human than fearing the sudden non-existence of death.

A collage of ALL MY DEAD CATS AND OTHER LOSSES. The cover is orange, cream, and blue, with a starry portal and a set of wandering pawprints.

Into The Charnel House

In this excerpt from 'All My Dead Cats and Other Losses,' Flytrap co-owner s.e. smith discusses growing up in death-positive culture in Greece.

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: I'm Angry and Afraid Because Everything is Shitty

I feel like screaming all the time, but I'm apparently not supposed to?

An influencer juggling a book and their phone inside a room filled with books as props and other ephemera while their cat watches the world burn outside.

A Forest of Special Editions and Influencers

What happens when books become aesthetic objects?

Julie Andrews as Clarisse Renaldi and Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries.

Soul Makeover

“The Princess Diaries” is a time capsule of the girl power era.

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: What If I'm Too Much of an Imposter to Even Have Imposter Syndrome?

I know I need to get out of my own way, but ... how?

A person split in half by two panes: One shows their dominatrix side, and the other shows their athlete side.

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Pushing Through The Pain

What the sports world can learn from the kink community

Illustration: A nude brown-skinned woman with a beaded necklace leaning forward. A magical-looking waterfall and lush tropical plants are framed between her legs.

Paradise Lost

What hedonistic tourism costs the Global South.

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: I Desperately Need Some Sense Sassed Into Me

Little things are starting to really, REALLY grind my gears.

A digital image of arms holding up a film slate obscured by a tangle of wires.

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Screenwriters Hate AI, and Who Can Blame Them?

The creative process is challenging for a reason—it makes stories better, and more human.

An illustration of s.e. smith, a white person with curly brown hair and glasses, surrounded by flowers.

Meet a Flytrap Founder: s.e. smith

Flytrap worker-owner s.e. smith talks peaches, death, and their favorite cultural criticism.

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: I've Got The Euro-Blues

I can't talk to anyone back home about how I feel.

An illustrated pair of yellow platform heels are accented with pink "ouchie" exclamations under the header "ARCH ENEMIES"

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Arch Enemies

After 30 years of heels, injuries, and and pain management, it was glorious, ugly shoes that finally convinced me to give my bad feet a break.

a still shot of Reese Witherspoon, a white woman with blonde hair, as the character Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. She is holding a chihuahua in a sweater.

What, Like It’s Hard?

Twenty-five years later, the legacy of “Legally Blonde” lives on.

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Ask The Flytrap: How Do Poly People Manage It All?

Do I need to get an advanced degree in time management to make this work?

An upside-down US flag blending into Mount Rushmore, with text: THEY SUCKED.

The Founding Fathers Sucked

In honor of America’s 250 birthday, we should stop lionizing them.

A collage of the Unreasonable Women cover on a red to purple gradient background shows a black book cover with red, pink, and purple flowers. The title is "Unreasonable Women".

Documenting Criminalized Survival

In this excerpt from Unreasonable Women, Justine van der Leun introduces her work to surface the lived experiences of over 1,000 women imprisoned for surviving assault and abuse.

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: I Would Like to Do Things with People, but How? And What?

I need more friends!

Illustration of a white man in glasses and bowtie holing a gun while running by a window with text: "we need fun, silly, espionage shows."

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Where Did All The Fun Spy Shows Go?

Can I please have some escapism with my fascist nightmare?

Annie Segarra, a Latinx American person, sits in a wheelchair wearing a rainbow skirt next to a doorstep and door that reads “Make Pride Accessible.”

(Un)safe Refuge

The built-in ableism in queer spaces.

The words "Ask the Flytrap" are written in a scripty, throwback pink font

Ask The Flytrap: Will Burnout Fuck Me Up Forever?

Everything is on fire everywhere all the time. I'm worried it will cost me the job I love.

an illustration of a Black grandmother shelling peas with one two little girls on a brick wall and one little girl doing her hair

Been Country: Commemorating Juneteenth in a Dying Empire

On America’s 250th birthday, Brittney Cooper meditates on grieving a country that has never loved Black folks.

An illustration of Tina seated at her laptop, lustrous black hair flowing over her magenta shirt, with a "California love" poster behind her and a plant in the window.

Meet a Flytrap Founder: Tina Vásquez

Flytrap co-founder and worker-owner Tina Vásquez talks about what brought her to feminism, her favorite risotto, and her least-favorite billionaire.