Fishing (Xiao Lu)

Fishing (Xiao Lu)

Inspiration Words: Egg Tart and Post Xiao Lu (ssee-ow loo) licked the crumbs out of the aluminum wrapper that, moments before, had contained a tasty egg tart. Saturdays were his favorite. He said it was because each Saturday, his mom would buy him the egg snacks that...
Shopping Races (Anne and Johnson)

Shopping Races (Anne and Johnson)

Inspiration Words: Yes and Sidewalk “Stop dawdling, Anne,” her mother scolded her as they walked through the aisles of the supermarket. Anne held gently to the side of the grocery cart, keeping close, like her mom preferred. “Can you get some of the chocolate chips...
Tacos and Cheese (Braxton)

Tacos and Cheese (Braxton)

Inspiration Words: Tortilla and Aspirational Braxton sat down on the hard chair in the dining room of his restaurant. It was 2 a.m., and the last of the night crowd had just left. The kitchen staff had finished cleaning up, and he had put away the rest of the drinks...
Diary of a Language Learner (Becky and Samantha)

Diary of a Language Learner (Becky and Samantha)

Inspiration Words: Pandemonium and ConfusedSeptember 19th This is my first week of classes at university, and I absolutely love it! I’m so glad I came to Hainan. The skies are so blue here, and even though it’s so hot, the library has air conditioning, and that’s...
The Soundtrack of My Life (Novel)

The Soundtrack of My Life (Novel)

Inspiration Words: Overhear and Acoustic My primary skill in life is overhearing things. I don’t talk much, but I listen plenty, and when I listen, I hear lots of interesting things. One of the first conversations I remember overhearing was between my parents. I was...
Meeting the Parents (Anne and Johnson)

Meeting the Parents (Anne and Johnson)

Inspiration Words: Prancing and Brunch “Have some more, we have plenty!” Anne tried to smile as her boyfriend’s mom heaped cow stomach and some other unidentifiable animal insides on top of her bowl of rice. “It’s okay; I can get it myself. Don’t worry about me.” Anne...