Voices Shaping Narratives
Snapshots from Contributors
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Snapshots from Contributors *
Six of our treasured authors and artists reflect on what inspired their work—and how masculinity speaks through it, bringing us behind the scenes in their creative process. They all contributed to The Evolving Gaze: Society’s Voice for Masculinity (2025, First Quarter Literary Magazine).
Thank you for all you do.
Kael Luzon, author of “Perhaps a Ballad of Every Girly Boy”
I’m a writer and creative activist whose roots trace back to the countryside of the Philippines where my early experiences with gender expectations and societal norms shaped the voice I have today. I had the opportunity to work with IHRAM Press for THE EVOLVING GAZE, where I published a deeply personal essay. This piece is not just a prose but a reclamation of a voice that's long silenced, more like a love letter to all the boys who were told they were too soft, too gentle, or too much.
My childhood served as both my muse and my mirror.
Growing up in the countryside of the Philippines, I often watched elders impose gender roles I didn’t understand when I was a child and my questions were usually met with silence or misdirection, leaving me with even more confusion. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I understood how deeply flawed those norms were. Having to write about it gives me this power to speak that the world after all isn't black and white. And most of all, it's my rebellion against the binaries that tried to box me in.
Harilaos Stefanakis, author of “Unshackled: A Reclamation”
I am a writer, poet, and practitioner who works closely with men. My poem explores the complexities of masculinity, its societal expectations, and the human cost of traditional norms, particularly among marginalized and system-impacted men. My work with IHRAM Press is part of an ongoing effort to reclaim and redefine masculinity through both lived experience and literary expression.
My inspiration came directly from the men I work with,
men who often carry immense pain behind hardened exteriors, shaped by a lifetime of being told what it means to “be a man.”
I’ve witnessed how the narrow expectations of traditional masculinity—stoicism, dominance, emotional suppression—have silenced and harmed myself and them. At the same time, I’ve seen moments of profound transformation when those expectations are questioned or broken. Writing this poem was my way of giving language to what so often goes unspoken: the grief, confusion, and hope that lie beneath the surface of the masculine ideal. THE EVOLVING GAZE felt like the right space to challenge those inherited definitions and to call for a fuller, freer experience of manhood—not just for the men I work with, but for all of us.
Richard Jeffrey Newman, author of “In That Moment of Change”
Most of my work, whatever the surface subject may be, is rooted in exploring how having
survived childhood sexual violence has shaped who I am,
and who I choose to be, as man and, more specifically, in how feminism has informed that exploration. "In That Moment of Change" is for my friend Ronny, who was murdered by her husband in 2021.
Christian Emecheta, author of “Expectations”
I'm honored to have my creative work included among the diverse perspectives exploring masculinity and identity in this edition. "Expectations" emerged from my personal journey with societal pressures around masculinity. I was inspired to explore the disconnect between external expectations of how men "should" present themselves and the complex internal reality we actually experience. The mirror metaphor allowed me to examine how I once tried to conform to traditional masculine ideals—stoicism, physical strength, emotional restraint—while hiding vulnerability and sensitivity. The poem chronicles that transformation from
self-rejection to self-acceptance,
recognizing that authentic masculinity embraces all aspects of our humanity. I wanted to challenge the harmful narrative that vulnerability weakens men, instead reframing it as a source of profound strength and courage.
Joshua Kepfer, author of “Boys to Men”
I was originally just trying to create a clever poem where every word starts with the next letter of the alphabet.
I had no idea that it would be a critique about modern masculinity.
Don't get me wrong, I believe masculinity is extremely important, even vital. That's what many activists get wrong. Shaming men into being less manly will only create weak, compromising men and no one wants that.
What I was critiquing was the modern masculinity that is selfish, sex-obsessed, immature, and irresponsible. The real men who we need today will be self-sacrificial, sex-honoring, and responsible. They will own their mistakes. They will tell the truth. They will be good at whatever they do without needing to brag about it.
Ifesinachi Nwadike, author of “The Exile on Becoming a Father”
I’m a Nigerian poet and essayist with an inclination to socially-committed commentaries and political dissension. I published poetry as a way of lending my voice towards the conversation around masculinity, especially from my immediate society's perspective. The erroneous view that
a man is not supposed to show emotion so as not to be seen as weak,
in a world with real human vulnerabilities, is an injustice. It’s a disservice to men to go through life without surrendering to its turns. In my featured poem, I purposefully chose to discuss my journey with fatherhood and how being an intentional and present dad to my one-year-old daughter does not make me a weak man. Being a present and intentional father for our children is a measure of strength, and comes with its own full-stretch of emotional, mental and spiritual satisfaction and wellbeing.
Edward Ficklin, artist of “Angel” and “Change”
I’m a queer visual artist in NYC (also known as the Lenapehoking). I work in both traditional oil paintings and I make comics. I contributed two paintings that chip away at the traditional notions of masculinity by exploring vulnerability though nude male figures. In both paintings, I disentangle—or maybe recover—the idea of hero from the patriarchy, which turned the hero from spiritual warrior to oppressor. These, like most of my works, offer alternatives and antidotes. They use the power of imagination to point out better options.
As Ursula Le Guin reminded us: “The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary. “
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
“ANGEL”. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO EDWARD FICKLIN.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
“CHANGE”. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO EDWARD FICKLIN.
Support Artistic Activists
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Support Artistic Activists *
Read and enjoy our contributor’s work in THE EVOLVING GAZE
Our First Quarter Literary Magazine for 2025.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.Rea
