From the editors: In the face of the immense grief that surrounds us, for this issue Ruminate Magazine editors decided to explore What Remains. “Everything is held together with stories,” writes the acclaimed author Barry Lopez, who died this past year, a few months after the Holiday Farm Fire destroyed his house and archives. “That is all that is holding us together. Stories and compassion.” This issue features the winners of our 2020 Broadside Poetry Prize: Michael Dechane and S. Yarberry.
In the latest issue of The Gettysburg Review: essays by Kate Lebo, Chad Davidson, Michele Battiste, Jen Silverman, and Maya Jewell Zeller; fiction by David Crouse, Lilly Schneider, and Melanie Ritzenthaler; and poetry by John Sibley Williams, Alice Friman, Kathryn Smith, and others.
Guest Post by Sherri A. Wilkinson.
Alice, a young eighteen-year-old British woman, moves to Africa with her family in 1910, where they live through the fallout of the war (World War I). After an auto accident, Alice finds herself living among the Tuareg tribe in the Sahara Desert. She then has to re-enter British society seven years later, a changed woman. When she receives a telegram in her senior years (age 78, set in 1970) her secrets are revealed.
The story moves at a steady pace alternating between 1910 and 1970; her life in the desert is remembered as well as her current situation. As an older woman, we see how her early years have affected her. The story takes place in about one week’s time, but there is a lot we learn, with a lot of family drama. I was fascinated about the Tuareg culture and how Alice adapted.
Overall I enjoyed Blue Desert and recommend to avid readers.
Blue Desert by Celia Jeffries. Rootstock Publishing, April 2021
Reviewer bio: Sheri A. Wilkinson is an avid reader and reviewer from Princeton, Illinois. She is a longtime member of LibraryThing.com, where she has reviewed over 1000 books.
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In this issue : new flash fiction by Michael Kozart, Carol McGill, Anne Anthony, James W. Davidson Jr., Jess Koch, Lorette C. Luzajic, V.J. Hamilton, Andrew Hughes, and Charline Poirier. Find out more at the Brilliant Flash Fiction website.
Welcome to the Spring 2021 issue of Cleaver featuring a visual narrative by Jennifer Hayden; flash by Rebecca Entel, David Galef, Gabby Capone, and others; poetry by Ann de Forest, Laura Tanenbaum, Valerie Loveland, James Miller, and Kate Peterson.
The Best Young Writers Age 14-24. These young writers and artists are deeply engaged—both with timeless themes and with their contemporary iterations and manifestations. Fiction by Michaela Crawford, Mac Bowers, Jonah Bradenday, Jacob C. Connerly, and Alexa Bocek. Nonfiction by Jessica Baker. Find more contributors at the Bridge website.
Nonfiction by Jade Hidle and Emily Waples; fiction by Remy Barnes, Christine Ma-Kellams, Raquel Olive, and Keija Parssinen; and poetry by John Blair, Asa Drake, Giles Goodland, Aiden Heung, Patrick Holian, Avery K. James, David Klose, and Rooja Mohassessy. Find more info at the Southern Humanities Review website.
The Spring 2021 issue of The Writing Disorder features fiction by Alison Bullock, Jennifer Makowsky, Robert Collings, Wendy Maxon, and more; poetry by R.T. Castleberry, Nicholas Karavatos, Mark DuCharme, Natasha Sharma, Hana Jabr, and John Tustin; nonfiction by Katy Wright, Riley Winchester, and Donna D. Vitucci. Art by Stewart Francis Easton.
This annual issue of Rathalla Review is comprised of the best work from the Spring and Fall issues during the pandemic. In these pages, we showcase the best poems, essays, stories, and art we received during a time when all our lives were changing. Gale Acuff, Jay Julio, Bina Ruchi Perino, David Wright, and more.
The Winter 2021 issue of The Fiddlehead features creative nonfiction by Chafic LaRochelle, Jen Ashburn, and Emira Tufo; fiction by Elise Thorburn, Liz Johnston, Dylan Taylor, and more; and poetry by Don Domanski, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Phoebe Wang, Keith Taylor, Rose Maloukis, LN Woodward, Monica Rico, and more.
Congratulations to the 2020 Able Muse Contest Winners! The final judge for fiction was Hollis Seamon, and the final judge for poetry was Emily Grosholz. Continue reading “2020 Able Muse Contest Winners”
The Spring 2021 issue features nonfiction by Molly Rogers; fiction by Kathryn Harlan; and poetry by Genevieve Payne, T. Dallas Saylor, and Emma Lewis. Also in this issue: Tim Erwin, Holly Goddard Jones, Monica Macansantos, and more. See other contributors at the Colorado Review website.
This issue’s themed art exhibit is “Exotic,” and our featured poet is “Stephen Kampa,” interviewed by Chelsea Woodard. Other poets in this issue include Tim McGrath, John Beaton, Richard Cecil, Estill Pollock, Bruce Bennett, Anne Delana Reeves, Elise Hempel, Terese Coe, Verga Ignatowitsch, Dan Campion, and others. Plus, a selection of book reviews; essays by N.S. Thompson and Christopher Rivas; and an international fiction special feature. See more contributors at the Able Muse website.
Guest Post by Bruce A. Mason
A philosophy professor wants to get out of his head . . . and into the Godhead.
Thousands of years ago in India, great beings explored the inner Cosmos of their own minds through meditation, seeking answers to the big questions. Who are we? What is the purpose of life? How can we overcome the intractable problem of human suffering? These are the metaphysical matters at the center of To Be Enlightened, the debut novel by Alan J. Steinberg.
Set in southern California, the story tracks the spiritual quest of Abe Levy, a philosophy professor at Pomona College. Deep into midlife, he struggles between the duties and pleasures of being a husband and the strong desire to expand his consciousness. As his pursuit grows increasingly zealous, so does the anxiety of Abe’s longtime wife, Sarah, who fears Abe’s ascension will divide them. At the college, Abe teaches “The Insider’s Guide to Our Self” (a survey of Vedic philosophy and the roots of religion), which serves as the setting for much of the novel’s Socratic-style debate and helps outline the book’s philosophical ideas. Namely, that Vedic philosophy addresses many questions left unanswered by Western philosophy.
Connecting the dots between science and alchemy, Eastern and Western philosophy, and the underlying wisdom of many faith traditions—from Judaism to Christianity to Hinduism to Sufism—Steinberg invokes the “God” beyond all religion, reminding us that no religion has dibs on Ultimate Reality. A pleasurable read that makes Eastern philosophy accessible, the book is plausibly far-out. It makes a convincing case that everyone has the potential to transcend.
To Be Enlightened by Alan J. Steinberg. Adelaide Books, 2021.
Reviewer bio: Bruce a writer, aspiring playwright, lover of life, globe trekker and dweller on the threshold. You can read some of his work in his Huffington Post column and on his Instagram page.
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A new Tint Journal is out. Read 25 new literary creations by ESL writers from all around the world online and for free at our website. Each text is accompanied with visual art creations by international artists, and many feature audio recordings of the writers reading their work. The 25 new poems, short stories and essays by writers identifying with 19 different nationalities and speaking 18 different mother tongues are just as diverse in their subject matter: Ranging from immigration, food, loss, LGBTQ+ and race to horror and romance, they will cue readers to think about the pressing issues of our time and open new literary landscapes to enjoy.
In addition to the 2020 Short Nonfiction Contest winners, Miriam Grossman, Mary O. Parker, and Stella Li, the Mar/Apr Kenyon Review includes “Nature’s Nature,” our seventh annual special poetry section centered on “nature, the environment, and ecological witness,” as Poetry Editor David Baker describes it in his introduction.
Inside the latest issue of Missouri Review: first fiction from Isabelle Shifrin. Featuring poetry by John Gallaher, Jennifer Sperry Steinorth, and Teresa Ott, fiction by Drew Calvert, Yxta Maya Murray, Mehr-Afarin Kohan, and Sam Dunnington, essays from Molly Wright Steenson and Phillip Hurst, and more, including a Curio Cabinet piece on Hans Christian Andersen.
In this issue of Gargoyle: family and relationship works, a thread of Greek myths, bullies, and a couple NASA poets. Nonfiction by Anne McGouran, Frances Park, Marilyn Stablein, and D. E. Steward; fiction by Sean Gill, Frederick Highland, Len Kruger, Jillian Oliver, Max Talley, Curtis Smith, and more; and poetry by CL Bledsoe & Michael Gushue, Roger Camp, Kathleen Clancy, German Dario, Holly Day, Alexis Draut, Robert Estes, Michelle Fenton, and others.
Magazine Review by Katy Haas.
I’ve been watching a lot of comedy movies and TV shows lately, enjoying the much needed escape from reality, so it makes sense that I’d gravitate toward Wesley Korpela’s “An Email to the Rose Creek School Board” in the Fall 2020 issue of Emerald City.
Korpela writes an email to the “Members of the Facilities Committee” from Genevieve Powers-Harrison’s point of view. Genevieve requests the elementary school’s name be changed to honor her still-living ex-husband Carl. Carl’s obsession with getting on the show America’s Funniest Home Videos drives the couple apart, but ultimately Genevieve believes he deserves the award as “a ‘win.'” After all, “he’s a nice enough man.”
I loved the voice Korpela gives to Genevieve and found the obsession with AFV to be a fun and fresh twist on the divorce story. There’s no ill-will between the two, just many failed attempts at five seconds of fame. A good, silly story is just what I needed.
Issue 103/104 of River Styx just hit our mailbox, bringing the winners of the 2020 River Styx Microfiction Contest with it. The winners were selected by the literary magazine’s editors. These stories must be 500 words or less.
First Place
“The Great Migration of Whales” by Michelle Kim Hall
Second Place
“Weighted Vest” by Rachel Furey
Third Place
“His Exposure” by Matthew Pitt
Honorable Mentions
“Wild Thing” by Haley Creighton
“Maybe This One” by Robert McBrearty
“On Liminality” by Marc Sheehan
Guest Post by Vanessa Cervini Rios.
When Sayaka Murata writes, she blocks out the version of herself that lives in the real world, the one bound by conventionalities of a so-called functioning society. Instead, she conjures scenarios that might lead to ‘real truths’ she’s been searching for since childhood. That’s what her 10 books have been, experiments to unveil what senses dulled by normalcy can’t spot.
Konbini Ningen—Convenience Store Woman in English—became a sensation of sorts when it was published back in 2016 and addressed the revered subjects of marriage, social norms, and work dynamics in Japan head-on. In just over 160 pages, the author lays out the full picture of Keiko Furukura’s life as a single convenience store employee in her late 30’s. A self-proclaimed cog of society, her mere existence threatens the carefully assembled foundation of everything that is acceptable; and what’s more unnerving for anyone that knows her, that’s all she wants to be.
Diving into Murata’s transparent narrative is a trip. One worth taking for anyone willing to defy conventional thinking. And if that sounds odd to you, tell me, what does normal mean, anyway?
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Grove Press, September 2019.
Reviewer bio: Vanessa Cervini Rios is an avid reader in four languages and enjoys writing about the link between cultural products and the social imaginary. More words by her: 12booksclub.substack.com.
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While you’re staying in this Friday, Driftwood Press offers entertainment. Join the publication for a free AWP Zoom reading at 7PM EST on March 5. Fiction and poetry fans will both find something to enjoy.
Get your comfiest Friday night pajamas ready to join the 3/5 reading via this link.
Jewish Fiction .net is thrilled to share something joyful in these challenging times: our beautiful new issue (#26)! 23 marvelous stories originally written in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English, including one about Purim (“The Feast of Esther”), two about Passover (“What Elijah Brought” and “Plagued”), and a story that is intentionally set in between these two holidays (“Serah”). The first two of these four stories also take place during Covid. We hope all of these 23 wonderful works bring you insights, solace, and pleasure.
This issue features poetry by Kamilah Aisha Moon, Hadara Bar-Nadav, Daniel Schonning, and Amy Fleury; fiction by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy, Mi Jin Kim, and Jack Ortiz; and essays by Dawn D’Aries. Read more at the Crazyhorse website.
The Winter 2021 issue of The Baltimore Review includes two contest winners among the rest of their contributors.
Contest Winner – 1,000 Words or Less – Fiction
“Intersection” by Basmah Sakrani
Contest Winner – 1,000 Words or Less – Creative Nonfiction
“The Reckoning” by Emily James
Take a little time out of your day to check out these winners.
In this issue of River Styx: poetry by Nin Andrews, Gabriella Balza, Talia Bloch, Bruce Bond, Lyn Li Che, Jeff Gundy, David Kirby, Jenna Le, Timothy Liu, Adrian Matejka, Miho Nonaka, Emily Ransdell, Erin Saxon, Troy Varvel, Kiani Yiu, and more; fiction by Winston Bribach, Michael Byers, Jack Driscoll, and Andrea L. Rogers; essays by Maura Lammers, Jennifer Murvin, and Kerry Neville.
The Winter 2021 issue of Baltimore Review features poetry and prose by John Van Kirk, Mary Ardery, Tara Lynn Masih, Shailen Mishra, Basmah Sakrani, LeRoy Sorenson, Susan Messer, Alden M. Hayashi, Gregory Byrd, Emily James, and more.
Grab a copy of the January/February 2021 issue of Kenyon Review for the winners of the 2020 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest.
Winner
“Fish Stories” by Janika Oza
Runners-Up
“Dungeness” by Steffi Sin
“Cactus Eater” by Stanley Delgado
Kenyon Review Fellow Misha Rai introduces the placing stories.
Guest Post by Manasi Patil.
An extraordinarily ordinary play script is what draws Tim Hamlet, the twin brother of Prince Hamlet, the crown prince of Denmark, towards Elsinore to uncover the dark secrets that awaits him, whether he wants it or not.
When I started reading the first chapter of The Other Hamlet Brother, I was entirely drawn in the book. Luke Swanson’s words kept me on the edge throughout the journey of reading ‘The Other Hamlet Brother’. Well, I’ve always loved this genre, so I was more than happy to review the book, and I’m pleased to say that it did much more than simply ‘satisfy’ me. Continue reading “The Other Hamlet Brother”
If you’ve been wanting to strengthen your flash fiction skills, Brilliant Flash Fiction has you covered.
Join presenter Cindy Skaggs on Saturday, March 13, 2021 for a virtual flash fiction fundraiser workshop. The one-hour workshop will take you from zero to finished flash fiction. Find out more about Skaggs and registration at Brilliant Flash Fiction‘s website.
Master your flash fiction now and have something to submit to the journal’s next print anthology, submissions open until May 14.
The Winter 2020 issue of New England Review is by turns bracing, inspiring, surprising, and devastating. Like every issue of NER, it gives readers a chance to expand their sense of the known world through language, image, and narrative. But what’s different is that emerging writers almost entirely populate this issue, and for many this is among their first publications.
We are honored to present the very first Massachusetts Review issue focused on Native American writing. The issue’s poetry and prose show the depth and range of Native writing in our current moment. We put forward work by both new and established Indigenous writers that is diverse in its aesthetics and comes from tribal people who live all over the country. Essays by Tiffany Midge, Shaina A. Nez, Chandre Szafran, and more; stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Chip Livingston, Erika Wurth, and more; and poetry by Lemanuel Loley, Stephanie Lenox, Bojan Louis, Jessica Mehta, and more. Plus novel excerpts and hybrid texts. Read more at The Massachusetts Review website.
This issue features work by Tawahum Bige, Megan Butcher, Rachel Lachmansingh, and Aaron Schneider. Plus the winner of the 2020 Constance Rooke CNF Prize: Christina Brobby who is also interviewed.
In this issue of The Main Street Rag, find a featured interview with Ellen Birkett Morris by Beth Browne. Fiction by Ellen Birkett Morris, Lawrence F. Farrar, Michael Graves, Kathie Giorgio, and Steve Cushman. Poetry by Carrie Albert, Diana Anhalt, Rose Auslander, Joan Barasovska, Brenton Booth, Raymond Byrnes, Robert Cooperman, Rachel Dixon, Richelle Buccilli, Angela Gaito-Lagnese, Martha Golensky, Kari Gunter-Seymour, Ted Jonathan, Elda Lepak, Anne Hall Levine, Vikram Masson, Ken Meisel, David Mills, Randy Minnich, Harry Moore, Gail Peck, Ann Pedone, Gary V. Powell, Charles Rammelkamp, David Rock, Seth Rosenbloom, Russell Rowland, Tom Wayman, and more.
This issue features Notes on Writing from Maria Reva, Souvankham Thammavongsa, and Joshua Whitehead. Also in this issue: nonfiction by Darlene McLeod; fiction by Dian Parker, Stephen Guppy, and Dennis McFadden; and poetry by Ashley Hynd, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, Rose Hunter, Natasha Zarin, Peter Richardson, Thomas Mixon, Nate Logan, Jean Van Loon, D.S. Martin, and more. Read more at the EVENT website.
Poor Yorick: A Journal of Rediscovery is continuing their monthly reading series with a virtual open mic and fireside chat!
Cozy up with your favorite beverage and share your poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Stick around for an open discussion between readers and writers.
This month’s theme is about family—the people who get us through bad times and celebrate the good times with us.
The reading will take place on February 25 from 7-9 pm EST and is free to attend on Microsoft Zoom. Find out more at Poor Yorick‘s website.
Guest Post by Michael Rhames.
Back when I was a teenager and the internet wasn’t a thing, one of my favorite activities was to sit or lay down with a book. Anything by Agatha Christie I could get my hands on ended up being a favorite. This one may just be a close second, as far as cozy mysteries go.
While Eve Calder’s style is her own, the resemblance to Christie’s is undeniable, and doesn’t stop with the title. Kate McGuire even has her own modern-day Hastings to help her solve the mystery presented in this little masterpiece of the genre.
After losing her job, her fiancé, and her apartment all in the same day, Kate decides to move south from New York to beautiful Coral Cay, Florida. There, she arrives at The Cookie House where owner Sam Hepplewhite won’t sell cookies, of all things. Being a pastry chef, but still needing a job, Kate takes the front clerk post offered to her instead. All the while, she’s been seeing someone following her around.
Then she meets Stuart Lord, a millionaire who wants to turn the island into an exclusive vacation destination for the rich. He is trying to bully Sam into selling the business, but Sam won’t budge. From there, everything goes downhill. There is a death, and Sam goes to jail as the main suspect.
Kate enlists new friends to help uncover the true killer’s identity. Their discovery is unpredictable, just the way it should be. But that is why it’s called a mystery!
I have absolutely no complaints about this book, which is rare for cozies lately. If you like cozies and a fair amount of food talk, this may just be your thing.
And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder. St. Martin’s Press, July 2019.
Reviewer bio: Michael Rhames. Birth Date: 6/8/1971. Birth Place: San Juan, PR. Living In: Boston, MA.
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Salamander #51, featuring: fiction by Jinwoo Chong, Gretchen Comba, Michael O’Brien, Carol Dines, and Kanza Javed; nonfiction by Darius Stewart; an art portfolio by Angela N. Weddle; reviews by Hope Wabuke, Marcela Sulak, and Jacquelyn Pope; and poetry by Michael Bazzett, Paula Abramo tr. by Dick Cluster, Suphil Lee Park, Jennifer Jean, and more.
Issue #18 is Into the Void‘s most packed issue ever, 10% bigger than previous issues. The eye-catching cover image “Sub Seb 2” by Chalice Mitchell would really spice up your bookshelf. Inside the cover: fiction by Anne Baldo, Nim Folb, Eloise Lindblom, Karl Plank, Ash Winters, and more; creative nonfiction by Grace Camille and Bill Capossere; and poetry by Annie Cigic, Daun Daemon, Roy Duffield, Rebecca Faulkner, Molly Fuller, Beth Gordon, Chana G. Miller, and others.
Issue 212 of Cimarron Review features poetry by Michael Marberry, Robert Bharda, Emily Grelle, Adam Day, Ellen Cantrell, Jennifer Met, Morgan Hamill, Ben Aguilar, Carolyn Adams, Kim Kent, Donna Reis, and more; fiction by Toby Donovan, Rachel Hall, Thomas H. McNeely, and Abby Frucht.
The “Fame and Obscurity” issue with poetry by Emily Pettit, Maia Seigel, Elizabeth Hughey, Jacob Montgomery, Oni Buchanan, Kathleen Ossip, Anne Marie Rooney, Jose Hernandez Diaz, jayy dodd, Catherine Pierce, Rob Schlegel, Ed Skoog, TR Brady, Ryo Yamaguchi, and more; fiction by Cynthia Cruz, Stuart Nadler, Lucy Corin, Bonnie Chau, and others; and nonfiction by Elisa Albert, Kelle Groom, Craig Morgan Teicher, Kirsten Kaschock, and more. More info at the Bennington Review website.
Guest Post by Michael Wright.
It means something for there to be a book where red pea soup is cooked the right way, obeah is real and so are monsters, permed hair falls out, and you understand what it means to be a runner, or a ball player, to be marginalized and to be a person at the same time.
Inquisitive, sharp, and alluring, Morgan Christie’s These Bodies is a detailed look into the lives of those whose lives we have forgotten, or ignored, or a bit of both. Her stories touch the hidden corners of who we are, who we recognize in the magic and the everyday lives she examines. From Alfred, who wants to know what it means to be a parent—and his partner Win, who wants to know what it means to be in love (“Monkey Paws”). Or Jemma, who wonders how it would feel to not come second to her father’s alcoholism (“12 Steps”). Or like Lester, who wants, needs, and wishes to be seen as more than his skin (“The Abada”).
Christie’s stories take you on a journey of love and loss, but mostly on a journey towards better understanding that we are all more than just these bodies. A whole lot more.
These Bodies by Morgan Christie. Tolsun Books, 2020.
Reviewer bio: Michael Wright is a father, husband, banker, and drinker of fine beers. He reads articles that make him think and books that make him think more.
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Featuring gorgeous cover art from Raqs Media Collective, new work from Eileen G’Sell, Albert Goldbarth, Noah Davis, John Sibley Williams, and the winner from our 2020 Curt Johnson Prose Awards, art from Brian Dettmer and Ebony Paterson, and much more. Read more info at the december website.
Welcome to the “Food Work” issue. Katherine Barrett urges us to think more about essential workers. Cairistiona Clark, Moni Brar, Kathy Mak, Carmen Wall, Christine Pennylegion, and Chantal Martineau pen poems on the theme. Read more at the Understorey website.
This issue of Cumberland River Review features new poetry by Jane Zwart, Paul Hamill, Alex Aldred, Merrill Oliver Douglas, Mary Elizabeth Birnbaum, Al Maginnes, Lauren Claus, Julia Wendell, David O’Connell, and Emily Light. Fiction by Ben Penley. Artwork by Chris Gwaltney.
In this issue: fiction by Tom Murphy, Doug Ramspeck, Terry Sanville, and Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, and nonfiction by Paul Juhasz, Jeffrey Lockwood, John Robinson, Rachel Schiel, and Steve Wing. Read more at the Concho River Review website.
In the newest issue of Brilliant Flash Fiction find fabulous flash fiction by Ravibala Shenoy, Avra Margariti, Jihoon Park, Kelsey Englert, Joe Farley, Tim Seyfert, CG Miller, Hannah Whiteoak, Yunya Yang, and Taylor Rae.
Adroit 36 is a brilliant collection of work—elegiac in its nature—both hopeful and loud in its grief. Poetry by Angelo Nikolopoulos, Ocean Vuong, Martha Collins, D. A. Powell, Ellen Bass, Alex Dimitrov, Tariq Thompson, Aurielle Marie, Nomi Stone, and more; prose by Ghinwa Jawhari, Blake Bell, Robert Long Foreman, Ethan Chatagnier, Steffi Sin, and Ben Reed; and art by Gyuri Kim, L.I. Henley, Connie Gong, and Tianran Song.
New on Terrain.org this month, find poetry by John Daniel, Robert Wrigley, Eric Pankey, Natasha Sajé, Jenifer K. Sweeney, and Naila Moreira with photos by Stephen Petegorsky; nonfiction by Christine Byl and Deborah Schillbach; fiction by Caprice Garvin; and an interview with Rob Carney by Jackson Reed.
“We Are Worthy” is the theme of this issue of Kaleidoscope. Our featured essay is “Wrap Me Up and Tie It with a Bow” by Shawna Borman. Author Marilyn Slominski Shapiro writes with vivid imagery in her story, “Rejoice the Archangel Raphael!” Judi Fleischman shares creative nonfiction, “My Man George.” This issue contains our first lyric essay, and our first publication of a drabble. In poetry, anxious thoughts are “Intruders” in the mind of Mari-Carmen Marin. You’ll find many other stories, personal essays, and thought-provoking poems that reflect the experience of disability and life in the midst of a pandemic. Cover art by Philadelphia street artist Blur.