Fiction | JOYLAND

Good Dick

Richard Chiem -

JANICE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS IN THE THRIFT SHOP, she is not like other girls, she gets what she wants, ashes to...

Mall Mouse

Sam Berman -

I feel I am too old to be trusted as an expert. Too old. And at times it makes things difficult at work. Work for me...

Task Force

M. Cottonwood -

I took the train back to the city where I live, sitting in the quiet car beside the university administrator. She concentrated on a...

Abandoning Beauty

Yuxi Lin -

Since moving to America, mother no longer wears makeup, jewelry, or even good quality bras. Only exception? Nail polish. Not flashy red but baby...

Valley Girls

Emily Nelson -

The day that Cheryl Lee Costello went missing, Michelle and I skipped school. The two events were unrelated—we wouldn’t learn about Cheryl’s disappearance until...

Recess

Jarrett Neal -

They cooked three meals a day that summer. It became a friendly competition between them, small interludes of fun and creativity to break up...

Carnation Milk

Hannah Lee Thorpe -

At night, I dream that I’m pregnant, my belly sagging like a sack of tarantula eggs, unholy and fat. I’m not superstitious, but I’m...

The Book of Ayn

Lexi Freiman -

Excerpted from The Book of Ayn (Catapult, November 2023) Despite their proximity to the city and the fact of their divorce, my parents insisted on...

A Perfect House is Where No One Lives

Karan Kapoor -

The house on the corner of a nameless street in Uttam Nagar wasn't a particularly beautiful house. The dusty black tile on the wall...

The Evaluation

Rhea Ramakrishnan -

When I leave the restaurant, I look at my phone and there’s a message from her. I don’t touch it. I put it back...