The West | JOYLAND

All I’ve Ever Wanted

Cameron Shenassa -

Roommates were going through a rebrand. No longer were they just companions for the lonely, the infirm, the elderly. Now, a Roommate was perfect...

To Molt and to Love You

Muriel Leung -

"To Molt and to Love" was selected by Joyland editors as a finalist in the 2021 Open Border Fiction Prize. When Shin thinks about...

The Immortal

David Aloi -

It struck Edward in the middle of his follow-up prostate exam—Dr. Beller’s gloved fingers searching his rectum like one might search for the perfect...

The Featherweight

Amanda Oliver -

A bird with one gnarled leg and foot came to visit my bird feeder every morning last February. I was getting up around five...

And It Was Running Thin

Claire Phillips -

Excerpted from A Room with a Darker View: Chronicles of My Mother and Schizophrenia The rift between my mother and I intensified as the accusations...

Con Safos Rifa

Lou Mathews -

"Con Safos Rifa" by Lou Mathews is an excerpt from the novel Shaky Town (2021, Tiger Van Books). All graffiti inked by the writer. There...

The Motorcycle Factory

Angie Sijun Lou -

"The Motorcycle Factory" by Angie Sijun Lou was awarded the third place prize in our 2021 Open Border Fiction Prize by judge T Kira...

In Eden, Eve

Kenechi Uzor -

"In Eden, Eve" by Kenechi Uzor was awarded the second place prize in the 2021 Open Border Fiction Prize by judge T Kira Māhealani...

The Contest

Patricia McCrystal -

It all started, as so many things used to, with a letter in the mail. Clarence Merriweather plucked the postcard out of the mailbox. In...

The Travel

Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto -

Nothing creates lifelong memories and family experiences like travelling. There are three, maybe un-generalized, stages in any travel: the preparation, the journey, and the...