Issue 55: Fall 2021 is Here!

Dear Readers,

I'm excited to announce that Issue 55: Fall 2021 is finally here! In this issue, publisher and reviews editor Kelly Baron introduces the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence and explains our intentions to become a dedicated space to continue to publish reflections, critical essays, and creative pieces on Austin Clarke. This issue features the first of these pieces: a revised version of Paul Barrett’s essay, “On Austin Clarke’s Style.” 

Following this introduction you’ll find the fiction and poetry winners of this year’s prize! Congratulations to our winners and runners up!

Fiction

Winner: “Perfect Little Angels” by Vincent Anioke

Runners Up: “The Upper Bright World” by Zilla Jones and “Playing Possum” by Ian Gillespie

Poetry

Winner: “Same Ocean” by David Ly

Runner Up: “Shelter” by Erin Soros

This issue’s fiction features “White Dust” by Divine Inyang Titus, “The Needle Eye Bridge” by Millie Ho, and “Majnoon” by Nafisa A. Iqbal.

In poetry, check out “Peru” and “Earthgirl Wearing A Rain Poncho” by Lee Jenny (translated by Archana Madhavan), “The Sky Falls in Bullets” by Farah Ghafoor, “Space Frame #18” by Taylor Brunson, “XXIX” by Róger Lindo (translated by Matthew Byrne), “Vulnerability Study” by Sara Elkamel, “God Is a New Anchor Dipped into the Sea” by Margo LaPierre, “Walking through rainstorms (to a tryst)” by Manahil Bandukwala, and “lantern” by Fei Ming (translated by Yilin Wang).

In this season’s essays, explore an excerpt from Nothing Will Be Different by Tara McGowan-Ross and “Culture Will Have Her Girls” by Adèle Barclay.

Then, in our interviews section, read the conversation between Jordan Abel and Joseph Shea-Carter on Nishga, Empty Spaces, and experimental art.

Finally, this issue’s reviews section features a review of Casey Plett’s A Dream of a Woman by Nour Abi-Nakhoul and a review of Andrew DuBois’s All the People Are Pregnant by Jake Morrow.

Sadly, this issue will be the last for Interviews editor Cho Min. Cho started out with us as a Publicity Assistant in 2018 and went on to be an Interviews editor shortly after. In that time, she has brought in countless amazing and thought-provoking discussions and roundtables. We will miss having Cho on the team and we wish her all the best!

And with that we present Issue 55. We hope you enjoy our very latest.

All the best,

The Editors