Each month I make a sometimes thin attempt at finding some common link between the stories we publish. Maybe they’re all fantasies. Maybe they’re all about people coping with death. Maybe they’re all about winning a lottery–money or Shirley Jackson-esque. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s a bit of a stretch.
Here I sit with two stories on my desk for our June issue:
“Home Isn’t,” by Kelly Sandoval–a touching sci-fi story that I found strikingly relevant to our society run amok with cultural sensitivity. What happens when cultural sensitivity loses sight of being sensitive to the individual?
And “Copy Machine,” by Shane Halbach. Science fiction? No. Heartbreaking? No. Some might actually find it a little goofy, even sappy. But with my 25th wedding anniversary approaching, I found this story to be an endearing exploration of romantic love, of the joy and giddiness and anxiety that comes with complete commitment to another person.
So, my challenge to you, as the reader, is to come up with a single connecting element between these two stories. Be creative, think hard, post your ideas in the comments below. I look forward to reading them.
Suzanne
bizarre, in the other
Both end at a vista of potential.