This month, we’ve got stolen statues, dog DNA, a glass expert, and more.

The Adversary

Maurício Limeira

“I am alone and a frightening city sleeps on my foot.”


Banned from California: Jim Foshee; Persecution, Redemption, Liberation, and the Gay Civil Rights Movement

Robert C. Steele

“Jim Foshee had been planning his escape for months.”


Branches

Adam Peter Johnson

“I’m standing at the water’s edge when the phone call comes, sand to my ankles, sinking deeper with each advance of the waves breaking on the beach.”


Careless Love

Steve Zettler

“At her memorial service, I wanted to believe my mother’s story had something to do with me, that I was in some way a player, that I factored into her bygone scenario—the life that was hers before I was born.”


Filling in the Black

Joan Kantor

“The George Floyd verdict was a tipping point for me.”


Hot Air

Charlie Suisman

“The fact of the matter is, somebody stole the statue of Hezekiah Hesper, and for months nobody noticed.”


Kings of a Lonely Kingdom: Earth Day Essays, Poems, and Musings on Nature

David C. Mahood

“If we all make an effort to understand the myriad of consequences of not only climate change but anthropogenic activity in general, we can’t possibly turn our backs on them.”


LifeCast

Marc Opsal

“Welcome to LifeCast, by Neurogem.”


Men or Paws

Rich Amooi

“I was tempted to have my dog’s DNA tested to see if he was part goat.”


Money, Blood, Conscience

David Steinman

“The black sedan drove slowly up a palm-lined Beverly Hills street, its funereal appearance out of place in the bright sunshine.”


An Oracle Walks into a Bar: The Misadventures of a Post-relationship Personal Effects Repossession Specialist

Scott Burtness

“Not to brag, but I’m a bit of an expert on glass.”


Shadows on the Page

Vince Font, illus. by Jane Font

“It is several hours after midnight when I hear the sound of approaching footsteps on the gravel walk that leads in from the old road.”


A Trace of Royalty: Kopp Chronicles

Greg Kopp

“Suddenly, the door of the carriage flung open, as it pulled up to the doors of the Mannheim Palace on an early and cold February morning in 1843.”