Ben by Tyler Mendelsohn
“It’s possible I crossed paths with the ghost of my grandfather, whose blood is mine but whose life I can barely fathom.”
The Wood Burning Prayer by Zia Pollis
“wire and sinew won’t protect you against January’s hard breath”
Missed Abortion by Katie Sinback
“Never have I felt more certain that a woman should not be forced to be the vessel for an unwanted pregnancy.”
“you’ll never know what your mother went through” by KB
“Why when I look at you & see no traces of me I see a whole bloodline shrunk down to a question mark.”
Interview: Sophia Shalmiyev
“I am trained and brainwashed to expect more of mothers and women than I do of fathers and men. I fight this every day.”
A Boy Called Moose by Santi Elijah Holley
“But while the nation’s attention is diverted, black men, women, and children continue to die.”
By the Skin of Our Teeth by Sadie Fuchswild
“I am complacent again as I swallow his fingers.”
How I Know Bruce Springsteen Wants To Get Fisted by Jaz Papadopoulos
“Splinters of memory come out in my teeth as I pass the time with my hands in my mouth.”
Autobiography in Eight Hairstyles by Susan Vespoli
“more toxic than chemical exposure, is the act of not owning your thoughts or speaking your mind”
Lottie by Harford Hopson
“I could never stand the sun because it always made people see stuff they couldn’t usually see.”
Letter from Spain, July 2018 by Emily Rapp Black
“This is not an argument with God or about God or for God”
Earth is the Mother of Metal by Jane Gregorie
“Metal is autumn and grief and weeping and the color white and the mother of Water.”
Lifeline by Shannon Roberts
“The only thing worse than death would be the next family gathering.”
It’s Time by Samm Saxby
“His instincts were telling him to jump in his car and run, but he knew fleeing was not an option.”
Dear Gramps, You Short Angry Bastard by Tom Griffen
“You slipped into a childhood brogue and cried your little green eyes out like a baby.”