CONTENTS:

Prose –

A Small Bloody Gift // Naomi Day – 6167 words

As Kehaka prepares to assume her grandmother’s mantle of Keeper, a new love dares her to imagine a life beyond her district’s survival and a means to escape a terrifying rite of passage. Content warning for some body horror.

Tet fe Mal // Zin E. Rocklyn – 5865 words

An all-consuming heat and craving. A nick along the Lambdoid suture that won’t heal. And a forgotten love with eyes like a raging storm. Content warning for gore.

The Plaster // Laura Barker – 3802 words

Cut your finger on social media, receive a delicious meal from a luxury catering company. Are you up for the challenge? Content warning for brief violence.

We Grew Tall and Strong by the Water // Leah Andelsmith – 12999 words

Helen finds herself in the all-Black town of Rainey, Oklahoma, in hopes of reclaiming a dear friend’s lost childhood secret—but requires help from children with secrets of their own.

Poetry –

My Mother, she ate me // Akua Lezli Hope

Questions for the Coming Age of the God of Meat // Denzel Xavier Scott

Recounting the Cat-Child’s Birth to the Elders // Joanne Godley

Nonfiction –

The Magic is in the Roots: Cultural Reconnection through Magical Realism // Lysz Flo

How Cyberpunk 2077 Became The Definitive Example of Afrofuturism // Ural Garrett