Richly drawn stories about the lives of ordinary families in contemporary Botswana as they navigate relationships, tradition and caretaking in a rapidly changing world.A young widow adheres to the expectations of wearing mourning clothes for nearly a year, though she's unsure what the traditions mean or whether she is ready to meet the world without their protection. An older sister returns home from a confusing time in America, only to explain at every turn why sh...

Richly drawn stories about the lives of ordinary families in contemporary Botswana as they navigate relationships, tradition and caretaking in a rapidly changing world.A young widow adheres to the expectations of wearing mourning clothes for nearly a year, though she's unsure what the traditions mean or whether she is ready to meet the world without their protection. An older sister returns home from a confusing time in America, only to explain at every turn why sh...

As Jamel Brinkley writes in his introduction, “As I undertook the pleasurable task of reaching out to writers whose work I love for this issue, I realized I wanted voices that were both skillful and troubling.... I ultimately allowed myself to be guided by my ear. I ended up with a clutch of workthat, to my ear, sang with what Lorca calls “a scorched throat,” forms of eloquence that lean into trouble instead of away from it.” The Summer 2022 Issue of Ploughshares, guest-edited by J...