Klipsun Magazine

Klipsun Magazine Klipsun is an award-winning independent storytelling magazine at Western Washington University.

An independent student publication at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Klipsun Magazine is published each quarter and includes features, multimedia and issues affecting the lives of the greater Bellingham area. You can find us online at klipsunmagazine.com or follow us at twitter.com/klipsunmag and instagram.com/klipsunmag. Klipsun is a Chinuk Wawa word meaning "sunset" in the language of the Chinook Indian Nation.

I was born missing four of my permanent teeth. In middle school, my four baby teeth were pulled and I got braces to keep...
10/31/2025

I was born missing four of my permanent teeth. In middle school, my four baby teeth were pulled and I got braces to keep the spaces open for future tooth implants. The dentist and orthodontist both said that if I didn’t get these gaps fixed, my mouth would degrade and my other teeth would sink into my jaw. I didn’t understand, but it scared me.

As any stubborn eighth-grader would, I neglected to wear my retainer after I got my braces off; I always thought I could worry about it later.

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“For the past 23 years, I have been a prisoner of my own making,” said Rocio Molina, my mother. “At 26, I made a difficu...
10/31/2025

“For the past 23 years, I have been a prisoner of my own making,” said Rocio Molina, my mother. “At 26, I made a difficult decision to leave for America and said goodbye to my family, home and culture, all for the promise of a better future. I didn’t know at the time it would be decades before I could return.”

Both of my parents arrived in the U.S. in 2002, with a tourist visa, very little money and spoke no English. Luckily, one of my mother’s sisters had made the journey to the U.S. a few years back and settled in California. They were able to join her there.

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The sun is hidden, rain pounds down onto the streets of Bellingham and I think to myself, “Who would be skating in weath...
10/30/2025

The sun is hidden, rain pounds down onto the streets of Bellingham and I think to myself, “Who would be skating in weather like this?” But as I pull into the parking lot and look over at the skate park under the Roeder Avenue Bridge, I see them. There they are, a group of four girls. They’re unfazed by the weather, even as the wind drives the rain directly at them beneath the bridge. I make my way from the parking lot over to them, walking along the tall chain-link fence that borders the park. As soon as I walk through the opening in the chain link, the girls stop skating, pick up their boards and turn to me with big smiles, ready to chat about skate life.

The girls all have that classic “skater look” — shaggy haircuts, baggy jeans and oversized tees. Their boards are adorned with stickers, logos and artwork from the local skate store, Unknown Board Shop.

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The sun is hidden, rain pounds down onto the streets of Bellingham and I think to myself, “Who would be skating in weath...
10/30/2025

The sun is hidden, rain pounds down onto the streets of Bellingham and I think to myself, “Who would be skating in weather like this?” But as I pull into the parking lot and look over at the skate park under the Roeder Avenue Bridge, I see them. There they are, a group of four girls. They’re unfazed by the weather, even as the wind drives the rain directly at them beneath the bridge. I make my way from the parking lot over to them, walking along the tall chain-link fence that borders the park. As soon as I walk through the opening in the chain link, the girls stop skating, pick up their boards and turn to me with big smiles, ready to chat about skate life.

The girls all have that classic “skater look” — shaggy haircuts, baggy jeans and oversized tees. Their boards are adorned with stickers, logos and artwork from the local skate store, Unknown Board Shop.

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Most people walk by Western Washington University’s Old Main without a second thought. Sure, it’s a cool piece of living...
10/30/2025

Most people walk by Western Washington University’s Old Main without a second thought. Sure, it’s a cool piece of living history, but most of what it has to offer is already well-known and proudly displayed on the university’s website. Originally constructed in 1896 as a state-funded teacher training center, it earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

During the height of the Cold War, however, Old Main served as an entry point for an underground nuclear evacuation site. Sitting just under the walkways spanning across campus is an extensive system of steam and maintenance corridors, the deepest parts lying over 20 feet below ground level. According to a 1969 Civil Defense Plan approved by the Whatcom County Board of Commissioners, they were assigned to act as places of refuge for students and staff should the Pacific Northwest face a full-scale ballistic missile attack.

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Just down the stream from Lake Padden, I find myself in the dead of the woods. A gray-haired woman is ahead of me, wicke...
10/29/2025

Just down the stream from Lake Padden, I find myself in the dead of the woods. A gray-haired woman is ahead of me, wicker basket in hand, guiding me carefully across the forest floor.

“Watch where you step!” she warns.

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Afternoon sunlight spills across a wicker coffee table cluttered with vintage matchbooks and faded photographs. “Where i...
10/29/2025

Afternoon sunlight spills across a wicker coffee table cluttered with vintage matchbooks and faded photographs. “Where is it?” comes a mutter, followed by hands rifling through the yellowed pages and timeworn artifacts, each touched by the warm glow pouring through the adjacent window.

With a look of relief and a humble smile creeping onto their face, Jesse Dooghan, a young collector and amateur historian, emerges with a small, worn leather book. It’s stamped with the gold logo of the Bellingham National Bank and dated from 1916. “Here it is,” they say.

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“Oh that’s ironic,” said a Western Washington University campus police officer. “The sign on your door.” An image of a M...
10/28/2025

“Oh that’s ironic,” said a Western Washington University campus police officer. “The sign on your door.”
An image of a Minecraft creeper hung on my door with the caption “watch for creepers.” All day, every day, I watched for literal creepers — obsessively checking that my blinds were closed and peeking over my shoulder when I walked outside. Instead of hearing the hissss of a Minecraft creeper, I heard “Where are your favorite spots to study?” and “Where do you work?”

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In a brick-laden multi-business complex in the heart of downtown Bellingham, a dark hallway gives way to an explosion of...
10/28/2025

In a brick-laden multi-business complex in the heart of downtown Bellingham, a dark hallway gives way to an explosion of color — and hype. Air Jordans, Nike Dunks and Air Force Ones, along with other sneakerhead essentials, flood the walls of ReLaced, an independent sneaker store run by husband and wife Jesse and Lidija Reading.

While Lidija laces up a sneaker, Jesse, standing confidently in a pair of crisp Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4s (originally released at $225, now fetching $1500 on the resale market), tells me he’s not wearing them for my viewing, or anyone else’s.

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In a brick-laden multi-business complex in the heart of downtown Bellingham, a dark hallway gives way to an explosion of...
10/28/2025

In a brick-laden multi-business complex in the heart of downtown Bellingham, a dark hallway gives way to an explosion of color — and hype. Air Jordans, Nike Dunks and Air Force Ones, along with other sneakerhead essentials, flood the walls of ReLaced, an independent sneaker store run by husband and wife Jesse and Lidija Reading.

While Lidija laces up a sneaker, Jesse, standing confidently in a pair of crisp Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4s (originally released at $225, now fetching $1500 on the resale market), tells me he’s not wearing them for my viewing, or anyone else’s.

More on our website!

EDITORS’ NOTE: This story includes discussion of self-harm, suicidal ideation and sexual violence. If you or someone you...
10/26/2025

EDITORS’ NOTE: This story includes discussion of self-harm, suicidal ideation and sexual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 988 for the National Su***de and Crisis Lifeline and 1-800-656-4673 for the National Sexual Assault Hotline in the U.S.

Light creeps in through cracks in the drawn blinds and closed door. A young girl sits curled up in a ball, waiting for time to stop. Cheek to carpet, she hugs a blue checkered blanket, nails digging into her palms. Tears roll down her face, soaking the floor beneath her head. I don’t want to be here anymore.

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Klipsun is an award-winning independent student publication at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Klipsun Magazine is published once each quarter and includes features, multimedia and issues affecting the lives of the greater Bellingham area. You can find us online at www.klipsunmagazine.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/klipsunmag. Klipsun is a Chinook Wawa word meaning "sunset."