Accompany Ellen Bass, Tom Jenks, Becky Hagenston, Tony Hoagland and others as they wrestle with

the vulnerability of contemporary life, navigating party allegiance and confronting the contrast between

hope and hopelessness. Grapple with gun violence, child abduction, and the employment of high school

boys in slaughterhouses. Witness the extinction of Galápagos turtles and visit Florida, São Paulo, Lopez

Island, and eastern Turkey. Attend goodbyes, embrace calamity, and accept the discomfort of seeing a

loved one for the last time. Flounder in narratives cultivated from the world around all of us.

About Ploughshares

Ploughshares is an award-winning journal of new writing. Two out of each year’s four issues are

guest-edited by prominent writers who explore different personal visions, aesthetics, and literary circles;

the Fall and Winter issues are staff-edited.

Since 1971, Ploughshares has discovered and cultivated the freshest voices in contemporary American

literature, and remains prescient in the digital age by providing readers with thoughtful and entertaining

literature in a variety of formats. Find out why the New York Times named Ploughshares “the Triton

among minnows.”