“Expiration Dates” by Levi Rogers

I light my cigarette lovingly, laughingly, with a light purple lighter. Burn, baby, burn . . .

“Mama and Papa Find a Way” by Suzon George

Mama and Papa’s love was magic! Their first kiss was magic. Their wedding kiss was magic. The kiss that made Mimi was magic.

One snowy morning, Papa and Mama shared a good morning kiss that turned magical. Their hearts and other parts warmed. Pajamas were shed. Heat built. Suddenly . . .

“My Son, the Felon” by Nancy B. Ludmerer

Where had I gone wrong? In four years as a mother, I thought I’d done a good job. So where had I failed? I pictured myself twenty years hence, cornered by a crime reporter. “I tried my best,” I’d sob. “But he began dealing in stolen property at four, and it was downhill from there . . .”

Johnny Temple Interviews Adam Mansbach and Kellie Magnus

To celebrate the release of Go de Rass to Sleep, the new Jamaican patois translation of the bestselling Go the F*** to Sleep, Johnny Temple spoke with author Adam Mansbach and translator Kellie Magnus about translation, Jamaican culture, censorship, and more.

“No. Station” by Timothy Gager

I didn’t notice I had nodded out on the train and had missed my stop until the conductor clamped down on my bony shoulders in Wellington, saying, “Come on, honey . . .”

Read Chapter One of Mr. Loverman!

To celebrate the release of Bernardine Evaristo’s Mr. Loverman, we’re very pleased to feature Chapter One in its entirety!

Christopher R. Weingarten on the Jesus Lizard and “Boilermaker”

To celebrate the release of The Jesus Lizard Book, Akashic will be featuring excerpts from Book on our website once a week throughout March. Today, we bring you Christopher R. Weingarten’s two pieces included in Book.

Excerpt from The Late Work of Margaret Kroftis

PA R T 2 T H E I M P O S S I B L E P E R F E C T I O N Beth: The sun passed over the house as I sipped my coffee on the back porch. We wrestled in the bedroom and I pretended that the carpet was […]