“Then [Noah] sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.” Genesis 8:7 As a child, I wanted to change my name. This desire was not particularly novel; children sometimes…
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The first time she noticed, it was purely accidental. A quick glance while reaching for a towel on the nearby rack. The pleasant burn from…
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The leaves on the two maple trees in the yard beamed a spectacular fiery red as the blue bottles that hung from them shimmered under…
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Melam partially unzipped the full body control unit and took a deep breath. It was crafted from lightweight fabric, yet designed to fit snuggly enough…
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The girl you ask to dinner will never show you her true face. Her deep, caramelized skin is carefully concealed beneath layers of formality and mistrust. She runs through her standard list of questions in her head as she is…
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My grandma’s house was always full. The hinges on the front door were almost invisible. In the heart of Cleveland, Ohio, not a side town along the way,…
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The Traveling Refugee. She watched her ancestors burn and hang. In the land of the free. In the land of the brave. They have known many graves. Unwilling…
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“If y’all weren’t so difficult, maybe it’ll be easier to get a man.” “Y‘all? Difficult?” I repeat the triggering words as if they can…
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The day Chiamaka disappeared, her father left the house in precisely three pieces. The first piece left at sunset, when the world, consumed by…
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No roads led here, this place like a scar of an old wound. No signs marked its location, no post hung with its name.…
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The tap is leaking. I know this is not the first words I should say to you. ‘The tap is leaking’ is not a conversation…
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It was a bitterly cold November evening, fifteen minutes or so before closing when the young man first walked into Tia Adelina’s botanica. He was…
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“I’ll be damned if anybody beat me again, tellin me I’m ugly and worthless. What’s family? I don’t need you or your bullshit. That’s what…
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It’s a typical spring morning – a slight chill, cloud cover, and the threat of rain. I can hear through my open window the calm…
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When you’ve got moxie, you need the clothes to match. When you haven’t got it, they need to match even more. The more the clothes…
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The clock on the kitchen wall said 8:45 pm. Fifteen more minutes and Trysten would be in bed. I stood in front of the sink…
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“It’s been too damn long,” Jericho said, gazing at me from across the table, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. His dark…
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No roads led here, this place like a scar of an old wound. No signs marked its location, no post hung with its name. There…
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