A woman considers her possible shortcomings when her boyfriend tells her that he doesn’t like some things about her. After a period of reflection, she acknowledges the futility of self-deprecation.

In Michigan, a recently divorced professor reflects on what it means to exist, first alone in his empty apartment and then alongside his student in a mission to find a missing girl.

Following a messy breakup, an MIT graduate and a PhD student at Indiana University separately talk about the problems in their former relationship in two spliced-together conversations, exploring conflicts surrounding language, intimacy, commitment, and intellectualism.

A research psychologist visits a peculiar asylum patient who recounts his life story. The patient warns the researcher about how obsession with the pursuit of knowledge can make one lose sight of their humanity until it is unsalvageable.

A story with an unconventional structure that asks "What is your number one priority?"

A writing critic reviews the construction of Charles Chesnutt’s stories and how to write surfiction.

Over dinner, an observer reflects on mothers and their omnipresent prevalence in children’s lives.

Throughout her life, a young woman from the future has gathered evidence about her ancestors to understand the way they lived before and during the era when society was reimagined.

A writer receiving feedback from a professor on their drafts is sure that the person on the other end is a man. They wrestle with their own hidden identities until the end of their literary relationship comes with an unexpected revelation.

In the depths of his mind, a writer tries to uncover the autonomous, nefarious motivations of his own characters.