the stories

Family has been on my mind, and many of our writers had the same idea. This year’s writers shared moments in their character’s lives, beguiling us with funny moments and tragic happenings. Many of the stories we chose feature family members fighting to stay together or fighting to be part of each other’s lives. But even those who were not born to each other found solace with those they journeyed with. “When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching - they are your family,” Jim Butcher.

This year, ORP’s family grew with a record number of submissions. And with this great joy comes the crushing disappointment of rejecting even more. We applaud the effort and care taken in every story, and every moment spent agonizing over every word.

— Alaa El Fadel
Editor, Emerging Voices in Fiction

Depending on which dictionary you use, reading is defined differently. My favourite is: ‘Reading is the cognitive process of looking at written or printed symbols and understanding their meaning.’ (Study.com)

In this submission cycle, I have had the pleasure of looking at written work and deciphering its core meaning; indulging in the various worlds and metaphors presented. Every year, I am impressed with the work sent to us, with the creativity behind the telling of each story. I have enjoyed peeling back each layer to discover what lies within. Maya Angelou wisely said, ‘there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.’ I wholeheartedly agree. It was an honour reading the submissions and being a part of each storyteller’s journey.

— Michelle Tanmizi
Reader, Emerging Voices in Fiction

It has been our joy and honour to receive a record number of submissions this year. As in the past, these were from all over the globe, nearly half of them from diverse writers. Of course, AI tried to gate crash the party, but we managed to keep it out...hopefully. The stories in this issue are a mirror to the world we live in – they are about the oppression of majority culture, capitalistic greed, isolation, mental health and grief. Equally, they are about carving beauty from the mundane, about receiving gifts of kindness when you least expect, about solidarity, care and compassion – all feeding one the most fundamental human needs – that of connection. They are a nod to the immense capacity of the human mind to look the world in the eye, take it in in its entirety and yet, not lose sight of all the love, light and laughter. We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

— Nidhi Arora
Fiction Editor

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— Passant Eltarek
Associate Fiction Editor

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