Identity Academy
In this short story, Meirav Seifert tells the chilling tale of a school that erases individuality. With photography by Ashlyn Vickery
Even in Saltwater
Andrea Eaker’s short story traces a relationship realizing it has no roots
Ladies in Waiting
A short story by Kayla Koontz takes place in a vague, fantastical nowhere island, offering a gendered, implicit critique of the futility of imperialist conquest
Bells and Whistles
A short, nail-biting story about an oncoming train. With artwork by Pawel Pacholec
The Great Chalkboard War
A short, spiky story detailing a catastrophic event at a school
Hypochondria
A piece of snarky short fiction about a young woman worrying about the feeling in her neck
Therein, A Life in Pieces
JP Seabright’s autofiction lays bare the realities of living with a chronic illness and its impact on the quotidian
A Palestinian Sunset
In this deliciously unsettling short story, Ron Morita pulls at the seams of a curious, fatal bond between a little girl and her doll
Epiphanies Galore Typing and Photocopying
Zoe Jane Patterson snakes through a tunnel with us into the magical realist realms of Abu Dhabi
Leaves
Fatima Al Jarman offers a fiction piece set in the UAE, as short and powerful as a whisper running through a school hall
Give Us This Day
A poetic new short story written within the hallows of the church
An Axe for the Frozen Sea / معول للبحر المتجمد
تعمّق في في ترجمة صالح رزوق لقصّة ربيكا روث جولد السّريالية
Incident on the Bridge
A newly-minted therapist walks onto a bridge and waits for someone to care for in this short story by Sonny Arifien
A Homecoming
In this short story by Cassandra Mitchell, a girl stands on her balcony alone with her thoughts. The city of Abu Dhabi reads her mind and asks, “Who cares that you’re happy?”
Calls in Queue
Megan Cannella places us in the mind of a call center worker with a story literally found in the footnotes
Lobster and potato bread
Paired with gorgeous photography, a poetic new short story about the emergence of capital in a communist Cuba
The Liftman
"Tucked into one corner of the small lift, he leaned against the back wall and diligently pressed the buttons all day." A short story set in Kolkata, India about a schoolgirl's growing awareness of a service worker
Plea
A conversation between cell mates, a lost child, and a pastor. Julie Ann Ward's new short story showcases uncertainty, loss, suspense, and a yearning for the what-could-have-beens
To Mr. Suri, With Love
A gentle letter for a violent story. Megha Nayar’s new fiction piece sifts through the debris of an abusive marriage
Samir’s Story
An unnerving short story about two boys whose lives are transformed by the presence of djinn