Fiction

Imperial Valley

Krista Diamond -

Lauren At a gas station in Twentynine Palms, I bought two silk scarves. “Tie it over your head,” I said, studying Nadine’s reflection in the rearview...

The Mud Path

Lauren Garretson-Atkinson -

Wild Heron Plantation Chatham County, GA July, 1763 Coffey had finally made her decision— tonight was the night she’d become a woman. Most girls measured change against things...

Other Voices, Other Blues

David Exumé -

The car rides to swim class were the quietest parts of summer. Aside from the small talk Josephine threw out from the backseat of...

The Lightning Jar

Emily Woodworth -

It starts with spirits. Strong spirits. Many years ago, we captured lightning in a jar and relabeled it homemade sauce. And from this jar...

Coyote Smith

Madeline Stevens -

Elmer had seen a skull once, as a child, by the Zigzag river. There’d been moss growing over the bone as if it were...

Daughters of the Air

Kate McQuade -

The game is Spin the Bottle. But now that we’ve emptied the bottle, whiskey’s casting amber blurs across the front-yard dusk, and our voices...

Tongues

Jimmy Cajoleas -

The first time I went to youth group was after the new kid stabbed himself in study hall. Our teacher was Mr. Bream. He was...

Roadkill

Jenny Xie -

Life is pretty good now that it’s just Roadkill and me. There’s no school, for one—just the hollowed-out building with the doors wearing tatters...

It Won’t Be Long, It Won’t Belong

Carl Lavigne -

Ira Dubois was coming back to tell his father’s grave he was gay. Well, gay enough. Bisexual. He would say it didn’t matter if...

Ten Year Affair

Erin Somers -

Cora met Sam in a baby group in their small town. They sat on blue plastic mats in the back room of an overpriced...