midnight & indigo - Issue no.5

**It’s here – midnight & indigo issue no.5!**

In this collection, we meet characters across continents in various stages of becoming. From women redefining their definitions of love, and Black girls finding their place in world and family, to narrators discovering self…and sometimes, sacrifice, we are proud to present 15 new short stories written by Black women writers.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Wandeka Gayle, “The Last Time”
A Jamaican woman returns home for a visit from graduate school in Louisiana. She has a chance encounter with a recent ex, with whom she has had a decade-long affair.

Adaora Raji, “Limbo”
When Chiwetalu leaves Nigeria to live the American Dream, he thrusts his wife into an uncertainty that stretches the boundaries of her love and loyalty. She embarks on her own journey of self-discovery.

Theresa Sylvester, “The Tractor”
A single woman discovers a secret involving her pretty, married, younger sister and their vocal mother. Set in Lusaka, the story explores farm life, family bonds, and societal norms.

Melie Ekunno, “Phantom Itch”
Tells of the sexual struggles of a “Chibok Girl” in America. Given the kidnapping of over two hundred high school girls from their boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria in 2014 and the eventual state-sanctioned scholarships to the U.S. granted to the rescued or escaped girls, and the predominance of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the region, the story explores the resulting unique psychological dissonance and trauma.

Leslie D. Rose, “The Orphan’s Daughter”
A retelling of stories told to her by her mother, who was orphaned as a young girl in 1950s Spanish Harlem. Found with her two siblings in a small apartment, the three were taken to an orphanage on Staten Island where life as they knew it would be no more. She now knows her mother’s stories to be PTSD, but the way she reflected upon her life was so majestic, they had to be retold.

Melissa A. Matthews, “Bittersweet”
Colorism in the Caribbean is examined through the lens and family history of a young Trinidadian woman and her complicated relationship with her grandmother. It explores the nuances by which its legacy is passed down from generation to generation.

Amani-Nzinga Jabbar, “Things I Can’t Outrun”
Nakisha is a former track star who stopped running after dropping out of a mostly white college. She tries to return to her passion by registering for a charity race, an experience tainted by microaggressions. She later learns of the shooting death of a young Black jogger and realizes there are some things you just can’t run from, no matter how fast you are.

Desi Lenc, “Barricade” by Desi Lenc
Flint and Amara, and their neighbor, Ebony, spend their time with adventure and imagination, as only children can. One day, Ebony and Amara create a new game.

Martins Favour, “Mel needs a new name”
Mel’s therapist seeks to save her from the despair a name brings.

Ashanti Hardy, “Too Much of Anything Can Kill You”
After Sadie loses her daddy one year, her mama has to go away for a while too. That year, Sadie learns that too much of anything can kill you.

Emily Capers, “Spirit Week”
Middle school is tough. Follow the narrator through her first taste of middle school Spirit Week, where she learns about spooky school rumors. For the first time, it’s brought to her attention that she doesn’t look quite like the rest of her peers.

Adrian Joseph, “Free Falling”
Nia journeys through the darkness of her psyche, using everything within to overcome her fears and release her sinister past. Will she make it out alive?

Stephanie Avery, “Salvation”
A girl lives with the psychological trauma received during a religious experience.

Danielle Buckingham, “Water Bearers”
Lee is thrust into a caregiver role for her two younger sisters following her father’s death. Lee is troubled with strange dreams.