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Flower Boy

May 20, 2014/in Summer-Fall 2014, Young Adult, Young Adult / by Nayoung Jin

“Ten baht each! Fifteen baht for two,” Rehan shouted, standing at one of the busiest intersections in Bangkok. Just like any other boys selling goods on the road, he strode between the cars and motorcycles, pulling his cart. He smiled big; that’s what his dad—God rest his soul—once taught him. Smile—that’s how he sold flowers […]

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Louisa and the Moon

May 19, 2014/in Summer-Fall 2014, Young Adult, Young Adult / by Shannon Anderson

Have you ever wondered what it is the moon is doing when it’s up there? Hanging in the night sky? Well, don’t. It’s a silly question. The moon is obviously doing what the rest of us are doing when the sun is down. Sleeping. However, there are nights when the moon can’t sleep. When the […]

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The Self-Improvement Plan

May 18, 2014/in Summer-Fall 2014, Young Adult, Young Adult / by David Elzey

I found this perfect song. It’s a sort of jazz-gospel thing I lifted from one of my dad’s playlists, totally not what I’m normally into, but I like the groove. There’s a little organ intro that I use for warm-up stretches, then it slips into this steady beat for ten crazy-long minutes that builds perfectly […]

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Wishing Day

May 18, 2014/in Summer-Fall 2014, Young Adult, Young Adult / by Mureall Hebert

Taleb stood at the far end of the Town Hall lodge, peering at the parchment that had been tacked to the wall. RULES FOR WISHING DAY You must be at least 16 years old to participate. One wish per person. Wishes cannot be given away. Wishes cannot be used to do harm. Death is permanent. […]

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Issue Archive

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Genre Archive

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Friday Lunch Blog

Friday Lunch! A serving of contemporary essays published the second Friday of every month.

Today’s course:

Diagnosis: Persisted or Silent Inheritance

November 7, 2025/in Blog / Paula Williamson
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The Queer Ultimatum Made Me Give My Own Ultimatum

September 26, 2025/in Blog / Lex Garcia
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The Family Eulogist

September 5, 2025/in Blog / Claudia Vaughan
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Midnight Snack

Take a bite out of these late night obsessions.

Tonight’s bites:

The Lilac and The Housefly: A Tale of Tortured Romanticism

October 24, 2025/in Midnight Snack / Nikki Mae Howard
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Dig Into Genre

May 23, 2025/in Midnight Snack / Lauren Howard
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The dreams in which I’m (not) dying

April 25, 2025/in Midnight Snack / paparouna
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Amuse-Bouche

Little bites every third Friday to whet your appetite!

Today’s plate:

My Town

October 31, 2025/in Amuse-Bouche / Shoshauna Shy
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Acts of Attention: An Abecedarian

October 17, 2025/in Amuse-Bouche / Rhienna Guedry
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The Cartoonist

October 10, 2025/in Amuse-Bouche / Ric Nudell
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School Lunch

An occasional Wednesday series dishing up today’s best youth writers.

Today’s slice:

I’ve Stayed in the Front Yard

May 12, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Brendan Nurczyk
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A Communal Announcement

April 28, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Isabella Dail
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Seventeen

April 14, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Abigail E. Calimaran
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Word From the Editor

The state of the world breaks my heart every day. Broken hearted, I stay online. I can’t log off. Because my career and schooling are all done remotely, I tend to struggle with boundaries regarding screen time, with knowing when to break away.

Like many of you, I have been spilling my guts online to the world because the guts of the world keep spilling. None of it is pretty. But it’s one of the things that, having searched for basically my entire life, I found that tempers the chaos that lives rent free inside my head.

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