Ploughshares Summer 2019 - Edited by Viet Thanh Nguyen

I've been reading Ploughshares for so many years now and it continues to delight and inspire me. This edition was no different. All the guest editors bring their own tastes and ideas to the table and in this collection Viet Thanh Nguyen stated she was looking for voices that may not otherwise have a chance to be heard. 

In this edition, we get a fine collection of poetry from James Hannaham. His poems range from non-fiction to fantasy and everything in between. They are thoughtful and enjoyable. 

I really enjoyed Doorway to Darnkess by Kenneth Calhoun, which explored the themes of cowardice in a teacher by introducing a magical element amidst images of escape. 

The non-fiction story Prison in the Age of Euphemisms by Alex Chertok gives a stark look at the differences between pampered high school students and their counterparts in the prison system who certainly have a different outlook on the world in which we live. 

The always brilliant Roxane Gay's Immediate Family gives portraits of two generations of Haitian immigrants and the cruelties time and choices play on people between generations.

Yaron Kaver's I Only Had Eyes for You was a sad but hilarious look at one man's process of divorce and losing his wife and then his friend in quick succession. When he makes a quick decision to lie about something, the lie snowballs in unpredictable ways. 

Butterfly at Rest by Scott Nadelson tells the story of an artist/actor/comedian Henry who is dealing with the aftermath of being blacklisted in the McCarthy era. It's a stark look at the way the Committee on Un-American Activities ruined lives and reputations. 

Lynne Sharon Schwartz' Am I a Thief? was hilarious. It's about a woman who steps into the literal shoes of someone else at a movie theater and finds them so comfortable she walks off in them leaving her own shoes behind. 

I also really loved Rob Magnuson Smith's Glacier that deals so well with loss and the distance it creates between relationships. 

Solid solid writing and curating of these stories.

4/5 Stars.