"In Allegheny" by Chaya Bhuvaneswar

In the parking lot of the Pittsburgh temple, the priests were painting the Ganesh Chathurthi float. In late September the festival season would begin, and the float would be carried by worshippers, most of them middle-aged husbands from all over the Northeast, always...

"Deer Tales" by Ken Brosky

I’m at a bar and I’m supposed to be trying to figure out what to do with my life, but instead I’m hunting deer. Bucks. Some of them hide behind the trees and some of them come running out into the clearing from the edges of the screen. I’m pumping the little plastic...

"Another Word for Hope" by Robyn Parnell

A lesser person might have been offended, Ginna reminded herself. It was a mistake for Dr. Ron to give her that book. However, it was a mistake Ginna relished (where a week earlier she might have merely “appreciated” it) in hindsight, and she remembered that she’d...

"The Potato Scrubber" by Kate Chandler

Sandy prepared to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner that would feature an array of spuds— Yukon, Gold, Russet. She prided herself in her ability to pick potatoes, secretly believing the good ones smiled at her. She had carrots to throw in, as well as the yams and sweet...