DNA testing and evolving adoption laws are blowing up family secrets. This groundbreaking anthology, curated by B.K. Jackson, with a foreword by Libby Copeland, features 28 intimate essays by acclaimed and emerging writers that probe the profound impact of encountering unknown close relatives. These poignant stories demonstrate the healing power of truth at the same time they raise the question: what does it mean to be family?
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Scrap: Salvaging a Family
Scrap: Salvaging a Family is a hybrid flash memoir tracing the long shadow of childhood fear and the complexities of forgiving a dying parent. As a daughter uncovers her father’s painful origins, she begins to understand the man behind the anger—and reclaims pieces of herself in the process.
Pretend I’m Not Here
Pretend I’m Not Here features characters struggling with sex, identity and meaning in a world collapsing around them. Everyone is longing for something—the beloved, a newborn child, even annihilation. Cities burn, protests rage, isolation intensifies. A motif of masks and costumes runs throughout as characters experiment with who they are and struggle for connection in an absurd world. Though bleak, many of the stories end with a moment of dark optimism.
How Far a Night Can Reach
How Far a Night Can Reach follows six characters whose lives intertwine after a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at an Irish pub. What begins with music, tension, and a kiss unfolds into a surreal, year-long journey of shifting relationships, unexpected reunions, and the strange ways we search for connection.
I Will Judge You from Your Roommate
A vibrant new short story collection from Fatima J. Alharthi exploring the fundamental question of identity: who am I? These stories challenge collectivism while embracing the beautifully imperfect nature of being human. From Saudi Arabia to the Aegean Sea, Kenya to Syria, the restless drive to anchor the self transcends geography.
