• My Father the Imposter

  by Sanovia Williams

  When asked about my father, I usually respond, “For the longest I can remember, it was just my mom and me. I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t,” which isn’t entirely true. I have early memories of my father spoiling me with clothes so I could feel comfortable and look my best.

• ‘Grief Is Like the Ocean’

  by Anonymous

  My father died of cancer in June of 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. At first he was diagnosed with a chronic, but not fatal, inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine and large joints. But after his condition continued to deteriorate, a trip back to the hospital revealed that he had metastatic brain cancer.

• My Father’s New Family

  by Jaya Arellano

  Names have been changed. It was Christmas Eve, just after my 12th birthday. My parents had divorced earlier that year, and I had just found out that my dad had already married someone else. I’d never even met his girlfriend-now-wife.  My dad picked up my younger sister Ana and me outside our mom’s to take us to the mall to Christmas shop.

• Proud Parents of This Great Kid

  by Kai Arrowood

  My mom called me to dinner. I swallowed thickly and emerged from my room, faintly practicing the lines I had prepared. It was the winter of 8th grade, and Christmas music was playing. Feeling light in my chair, as though I was going to fall out of it, I cleared my throat and told my family, “I have something to say.”

• Making Joy

  by Dani J.

  When I walk into the printmaking studio, the creaky wood-paneled floors give away my entrance. The studio appears dilapidated, with pipes exposed from an open ceiling, and I hear every other person’s footsteps and children screaming in the distance, but at this point it’s like a second home to me.

• Caught in the Middle of an Ugly Divorce

  by A.O.

  I was born and raised in East Harlem near 110th and Madison. Both my parents were well known on the block; for a time I felt like royalty. My mom told me stories about how my aunts and neighbors fought over who held me next.