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When Joy revisits her family's old cabin, she's reminded of childhood memories of a pond in the woods and its mysterious powers.  For more from Tananarive, check out her works at tananarivedue.com and look for her new novel THE REFORMATORY and graphic novel THE KEEPER, both due out in 2022. Content advisory: Depiction of dementia/illness, brief mention of death

LeVar Burton Reads is back December 7th, featuring work from Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones and Sarah Gailey, a winter holiday story, the winning entry of the LBR Writing Contest and much more! Plus LeVar answers some of your questions about making the podcast and gives out some tips to up your "reading aloud" game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A kindergartner travels through a portal to a fantastic and eerie new world. This story appears in Ellen's collection WICKED WONDERS. Find more of Ellen's writing for adults and middle grade readers at ellenklages.com.Content advisory: disappearance of a childSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tour guide leads virtual reality “experiences” for tourists who want to know what it’s like to be Native American. Think Black Mirror meets Westworld. For more great writing by Rebecca, check out her acclaimed debut novel TRAIL OF LIGHTNING, as well as BLACK SUN, the first installment of her 'Between Earth and Sky' series. You can preorder the next book, FEVERED STAR, right now. Check out rebeccaroanhorse.com for updates on her novels, comics, and television writing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immigrant mother tries to bond with her American-born son by creating a magical paper menagerie. This story appears in Ken Liu's collection THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES, available now from Saga Press. Ken Liu's forthcoming novel, THE VEILED THRONE, is the third installment of THE DANDELION DYNASTY and will be available November 2nd from Saga Press. Content advisory: Hospitals, death of a parent

A young woman is hired to look after an ailing man who's been ostracized by his family and sent to live in an old house by the sea.Find more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia at silviamoreno-garcia.com.

An anthropologist copes with the passing of her beloved tía abuela, experimenting with her own method of honoring her. This story was first published in SPECULATIVE FICTION FOR DREAMERS. Content advisory: Death, surgery

A man questions his current existence -- and the life he remembers from before. Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction, and reprinted in Lightspeed.Content advisory: mention of mental illnessOnly a few more days to enter the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

A veteran pilot revisits memories, and searches for remnants of her old experimental smartship. Content advisory: WarSubmissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

A woman recounts the story of her birth as a surprise twin and adoption by a Native American couple, and questions the strange presence she has felt with her since childhood. Louise Erdrich's novel THE SENTENCE will be published by Harper on November 9th.Content advisory: Adoption, medical issues, ableist languageSubmissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

An athlete trains to win a prize that would ensure her survival.Content advisory: Discussion of degenerative illness, deathSubmissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

A young boy feuds with a muralist who has taken over a beloved hangout in his neighborhood. Don't forget! The LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest opens for submissions on August 1st. Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

A girl visits a bazaar in Cairo, seeking a favor from a mysterious angelic being.This story first appeared in the anthology Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt. For more from the author, visit pdjeliclark.com.Content advisory: Fire, hospitalization

Marty brings his family to his hometown of Lucban for the annual festival to witness a miracle: lab-grown, synthetic food made real. This story appears in Isabel Yap's collection NEVER HAVE I EVER, published by Small Beer Press.

A woman has her memories catalogued for the historical record, and must decide whether or not to divulge a painful and complicated moment from her past. Anjali Sachdeva's short fiction collection is ALL THE NAMES THEY USED FOR GOD.Epigraph used by permission from How to Lie With Maps by Mark Monmonier, published by The University of Chicago Press. © 1991, 1996, 2018 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.Content Advisory: Blood, intimation of assault/violence

A man dies and finds himself reincarnated as a parrot. This story appears in Robert Olen Butler's collection TABLOID DREAMS. His forthcoming novel, LATE CITY, will be published in September. Content advisory: use of a slur

What if those spammy emails from princes about overseas banks were... real? An exiled prince teams up with the widow of a military general to recover their fortunes from the Bank of Burkina Faso. This story appears in Ekaterina Sedia's collection MOSCOW BUT DREAMING.

LeVar Burton Reads is back June 22nd, featuring stories from P Djeli Clark, Anjali Sachdeva, Ekaterina Sedia, Isabel Yap and more. But if you just can't wait to hear a new story -- here's a sneak peek...

Theresa Anne has spent years watching her mother tell fortunes and work magical spells. But when she asks to protect the girl she loves, she learns the true cost and sacrifice involved in magical requests. Find more from the author at www.clpolk.com. Content advisory: Violence

In a post-pandemic future where scientists have made great strides in eliminating disease, a young boy faces his fears and ventures out to his grandfather's island to give him an important vaccine. This story appears in the anthology Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future, edited by Gideon Lichfield and available for pre-order from The MIT Press.Content advisory: Discussion of pandemics, near-drowning