“[My parents] liked having the pool in the courtyard. My mother said it wasn’t the sea but it was nice to open the door and have some water.” – lê thi diem thúy, ‘The Gangster We Are All Looking For’

“I fell at the party. / I’m still at the party.” – Joshua Beckman and Matthew Rohrer, ‘Nice Hat. Thanks.’

“Just because his parents were born in Minnesaota didn’t mean Hawai’i wasn’t his.” – Kristiana Kahakauwila, “The Road To Hāna”

“…leaves like an alien sun, a watery olive tone behind the darker green of the holly. When Jay doesn’t say anything, Allie says, ‘It’s a work in progress.'” – Kim Fu, “Do You Remember Candy”

“—Enjoy your unicorn. / —I will.” – Kim Fu, “Pre-Simulation Consultation XF007867”

“party, & they are the party, & it / is a ghost party. / Excuse me, a spooky babe party. My favorite bedtime story: Once upon a time,” – Chen Chen, “The School of a Few or a Lot of My Favorite Things

“Pour hot water on dried nettles / Filter more water for the kettle // Why try / to revive the lyric” – Hoa Nguyen, “Up Nursing”

“‘How did you get here anyway?’ ‘Producer’s a friend of mine, had a Teamster drop me off.'” – Daffy Duck and Bill Murray, ‘Space Jam’

“Leaves shadow him on a wide road. He lives in a hollow. He has more than enough green.” – Elizabeth Willis, “Thunder Road”

“the bandages—an entire saint! Here’s / what I own: a blackened coin and yes // for an answer. The countdown to the next major miracle / is on.” – Kaveh Akbar, “Best Shadows”