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by Ianna a. Small (Editor), Ianna a. Small (Author)
midnight & indigo is a literary journal dedicated to short fiction and narrative essays celebrating the Black female experience.
Featuring stories by 13 Black female writers, the inaugural issue introduces characters that navigate between self-love and loss, new beginnings and inevitable endings, and a few things in between. Contributors include: Christian Loriel, Desiree Evans, Avi-Yona Israel, Wandeka Gayle, L.M. Bennett, DiAnne Malone, Muli Amaye, Tatiana Taylor, Kourtnie Rodney, Jacquese Armstrong, Candice Lola, Preslaysa Williams, and Ilisha Nicole.
In "Let It Be Me," a woman falls in love with her childhood friend, carrying his tragedies and weaknesses on her shoulders. But if she breaks, who will be there to carry her? We witness remnants of the often complicated relationship between mothers and daughters in "Holding Pattern". Lenaya must learn to move forward even as she carries the weight of her history into her present day.
"Fear of Fear" places us in a car with a woman headed to her ex-boyfriend's wedding - with her current boyfriend as her date. What could possibly go wrong? "Finding Joy" chronicles the experiences of a Black Jamaican immigrant who, as a freshman at a university in Louisiana, grapples with her religious upbringing, homesickness, and the decision to make when a white graduate student impregnates her. A fortune teller sets up shop in a laundromat in "Burn the Witch" because...these sweaters won't dry themselves.
In "On the Occasion of A Pending Departure" a mother reckons with her son's pending departure to college in Baton Rouge and whether she's taught him enough. "Stripped" tells the story of Kaya, who is at a crossroads in her life and is traveling through rural France looking for something to help her piece her life together. After spending fourteen years in prison, another mother is finally heading home in "The Dearest Ones".
"Babe?" is a story about a couple affected by a miscarriage, and how they each bring their personal traumas into the relationship. In the 1950s, a girl and her siblings listen to Miss Daisy recount the story of her childhood friend's rape and eventual murder in "tea at miss daisy's". Are those on the top lucky or are they trapped? "Golden Girl" examines the underbelly of fame and celebrity. Single mother Rayna escapes from her abusive boyfriend in "Finding My Way Home". When she arrives at her grandmother's home with her young daughter, she must rethink how to live. Lastly, "This Is How You Deal with Grief" is a reminiscent exploration of how grief is handled by those who can and cannot cry. Teri Wright just lost her father-in-law, who was more affectionate with her than he was with his own son. She should be mourning, but she can't conjure up the pain.
