CONTENTS:

Prose –

To Rest, and to Create // LA Knight – 4952 words

Shunned by all manner of indifferent employers, a struggling creative receives an interview for an otherworldly, once in a lifetime opportunity.

Meditations on Sun-Ra’s Bassism // Yah Yah Scholfield – 4083 words

The laws of relativity hold no sway before the love of two sisters, a star mapper and city planner separated by light years and loneliness.

Lungs // Lily Watson – 2585 words

At the mercy of an eclectic conductor, a brilliant but nervous young orchestra invites attention from divinity itself as the children push their limits.

Morning // Diane Russell – 5972 words

Naeku, a young colonist on a barren planet, is forced to come to terms with her sister’s accidental death when her latest surface survey mission pairs Naeku with her sister’s clone.

Where the Sky Becomes Milk // Jamie McGhee – 6255 words

Buoyed by his grandparents’ dying wish, young Quim has only seven days to return a precious treasure back home despite a journey of unspeakable dangers. Content Warning: Graphic depictions of gun and military violence.

Poetry –

Astral // Aliyah Curry

Home’s Threnody // Olaitan Humble

Essay –

“What to the Black Man is Patriotism?: Patriotism and the MCUs Black Captain America,” by  E. Chad Metz