Jumaana Abdu 8/5/25 Jumaana Abdu 8/5/25

Illegal Alien

“I was up against two opposing demands: his longing to be pronounced a man, and the government’s preference that he was not.”

Eliana Alves Cruz (Tr. Benjamin Brooks) 8/5/25 Eliana Alves Cruz (Tr. Benjamin Brooks) 8/5/25

Solitaria

“I entered that bathroom a romantic teen and left a tormented woman.”

Luciana de Luca (Tr. Kit Maude) 8/5/25 Luciana de Luca (Tr. Kit Maude) 8/5/25

“Said quietly, the name lingers in your mouth like a candy-sized stone, impossible to swallow or spit out.”

Salomat Vafo (Tr. Sabrina Jaszi) 8/5/25 Salomat Vafo (Tr. Sabrina Jaszi) 8/5/25

“Now she ate and drank, but didn’t know who she was. A whole eighty years of life forgotten.”

The Dial 8/5/25 The Dial 8/5/25

Issue 31: Fiction