Buy This Issue EDITORIAL Musings from Maryland by Lesley Conner ORIGINAL FICTION Hoodie by Tonya LiburdA Monster in the Shape of a Boy by Hannah YangThe Fruit of the Princess Tree by Sage TyrtleAmericana! by Sam AsherIn the Monster's Mouth by Tim...
Songbirds swoop around the Tree, but never alight there. There is nothing to eat. Princess Five nibbles her white glove. Princess Fourteen forces her sapphire ring over the joint of her thumb to make herself cry, so she can taste the salt of her tears. Princess Two waits until everyone is asleep and tries to eat a candy-pink petal. It hurts and tastes of blood.
Interview with Author Hannah Yang by Andrea Johnson
He doesn’t have his spear with him, but Baba has taught him that anything can be a weapon if you really need it to be, and there are plenty of options inside their hut. The heavy wok hanging from the wall, the wooden stool with its sturdy legs.
So…
Maybe you’re up a bit later than normal, even though you know that nowadays a regular sleep cycle does wonders for you. But it’s only because you mixed yourself a very adult cocktail. The kind made entirely of liquors—like a Negroni—and it’s on a good amount of rocks, a drink for sipping, not gulping. There you are: sipping like a responsible adult, watching a bit of TV. You’re on your own since your partner has made a smarter decision than you. They do that. Often. It’s okay though, you can watch some stuff, the sorts of things only you enjoy. Can even skip through to the best parts because you’ve seen it before.
Episode 89: "Hoodie" by Tonya Liburd
She puts on a stoic face and lifts her red hoodie over her head in unconscious defensiveness against a coming threat, but these microaggressions always hurt. Just that little bit. Enough to register, and trigger the front she has to make.
