Editor’s Note:

In the ’90s, the “Missed Connections” craigslist advertisement section held a spark of intrigue or, dare we say, romance in the idea that a chance encounter might lead to the possibility of something better. Yes, at times, these ads could be a bit too revealing of our innermost desires, but even at their worst, should we fault them for reaching for connection, that vital need in all our hearts? Perhaps that is why it persists today as its own unique written form, touched with both satire and sincerity amidst a field of picture-laden, swipe-oriented apps. It also might not surprise you to learn that the missed connection has inspired other forms of art and writing, and most recently, an eponymic, interactive and virtual play, Missed Connections (Tai and Gruhin, 2021).

So are you looking for a missed connection, dear reader? Are you looking for poetry that acknowledges all that we may have missed in our difficult times, that attempts to measure the impact of that absence and distance? We have that here. Are you looking for essays that examine how our familial, historical or romantic connections inevitably influence how we approach our futures? We have those. Are you looking for stories that explore the ghosts of lives we might have lived, or possibilities generated by speaking up after a subtle look or accidental touch? You can find them here. Are you here, reaching for work that might remind you of what it is to feel longing, wistfulness and so much hope? We are here for you.

–Robert Ren

Literary Awards

David Crouse, Magic in the Age of Reason
Maya Kanwal, Talking with Boys
Emily Lawson, Deinotherium Elegy
Leslie McIntosh, what be her real name before fall or ascension
James Craig Hartz, Jr, Useful Fictions
Lisa Dusenbery, The Things We Name

Fiction

C.L. Brenton, Mama
Julie Cadman-Kim, The Window
Ananda Lima, Rapture
Gloria L. Huang, Nine Steps
Sara Truuvert, Pretty Soon You Start to Stink
S.W. Campbell, Hello Dad
Pascha Sotolongo, Plague Love
Shelby Kinney-Lang, Right Ascension, Declination

Poetry
Sean Cho A, Half Sonnets/Full Portraits #5
Liliana Ponce, trans. Michael Martin Shea, from Poem/Poema
Katie Jean Shinkle, If We Are Meeting, You Best Be on Time
Arthur Kayzakian, When We Fled Iran
Augusta Funk, Summer Job
darlene scott, Once, While Trying to Fly
Nikki Zielinski, Letter from the Salmon Run
Eli Estochen, Correspondences 
Julia McDaniel, Housekeeping 
Nicole Callihan, A Difficult Day

Nonfiction
Jerry Williams, Rehab: Day One
Annie Sand, Flight Machines
Kristine Langley Mahler, Kohoutek