khōréō magazine

An unnamed narrator takes an unusual journey home. "Homeland in Verse" by Naomi Day explores loss both, individual and diasporic, and what it means to arrive home when home is a concept you've forgotten.

A daughter living overseas visits her mother. Their time is counted in recipes, familiar yet growing ever stranger.

Years after the terrifying dictator of a small island nation has been deposed, a native bartender tells his side of history to an unsuspecting tourist.

"When We Make it to Bet-Zelem" is a profound meditation on hope and what it means to seek something that may no longer exist.

Countryboy T loses their home after the deaths of their parents. Luckily, the cats have been in charge all along.

This is Part 2 of "Dragonsworn" by L. Chan, the first novelette that khōréō has published.

This is Part 1 of "Dragonsworn" by L. Chan, the first novelette that khōréō has published — stay tuned for Part 2 in two weeks!

Ni Darti is determined to curse Herman Willem Daendels, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, for the death of her son. But a shaman cannot curse someone he does not know—and so, Ni Darti embarks on a quest to learn what she can of the colonizer. Content warnings: Death of a son, a mother's grief, colonization, slavery, violence Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by A.W. Prihandita, edited...

A standalone excerpt from a novel-in-progress, "The Blue Glow" is set in Hiroshima in 1945, in the aftermath of the atomic bomb. Sen, a sixteen-year-old suicide pilot who lived, returns to his home city, where gods now crouch disheveled among the survivors. Content warnings: Descriptions of war, grief, and the dead Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Lisa Hosokawa, edited by Kanika Agrawal. A...

"Sartor" by Tanvir Ahmed is a story about stories, about endings and beginnings, about the telling and the listening. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Tanvir Ahmed, edited by Zhui Ning Chang. Audio edition read by Rashmi Rustagi and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta and production assistance by Melissa Ren. Content warnings: Violence (murder, execution), death and...

"Memories of Memories Lost" by Mahmud El Sayed is a story about the price of the things we choose to forget. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Mahmud El Sayed, edited by Isabella Kestermann. Audio edition read by Karim Kronfli and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Content warnings: Parent with dementia Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Fac...

"Come Back, Crocodile Bird" by M.S. Dean follows the story of Arnaz, navigating a flooded world that leaves her both stuck in the past and trying to move forward. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by M.S. Dean, edited by Zhui Ning Chang. Audio edition read by Moneesha "Misha" Bakshi and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Content warnings: Smoking, drug addiction, suici...

"Umeboshi" by Rebecca Nakaba is an exploration of what it means to be connected through heritage—and chain email. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Rebecca Nakaba, edited by Sachiko Ragosta. Audio edition read by Heidi Tabing, with sound design by Lian Xia Rose, and casting and production by Jenelle DeCosta. Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @KhoreoMag. Mu...

"The Abode of the Palms" by Karim Kattan is a story of the desert and jinn, of siblings and family and wishes, and what it means to be born second. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Karim Kattan, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read by Conchita Mbuyambo and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Content warnings: Mentions of violence and death Visit khoreomag.co...

In "Kwong's Bath" by Angela Liu, Kwong is visited by the ghosts of the people she has trouble letting go. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Angela Liu, edited by Sachiko Ragosta. Audio edition read by Lauren Kong, with casting and production by Jenelle DeCosta. Content warnings: Suicide, child abuse, death of a child, mental illness, classism Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, In...

"The Field Guide for Next Time" by Rae Mariz is a nonlinear tapestry of a story and the most experimental piece that khōréō has published to date. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Rae Mariz , edited by Rowan Morrison. Audio edition read by Carolina Hoyos and Christian Thornton, produced Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram...

You wake up. You do your job. You eat. You speak to no one. Nothing ever changes about life here in K— — until, suddenly, it does. "The Shadow and the Light" by Su-Yee Lin is a haunting story about stagnation and self-preservation and solitude. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Su-Yee Lin, edited by Aleksandra Hill. Audio edition read by William Lin-Yee and produced by Jenelle DeCosta and L...

How do you communicate in a foreign land, when the only language those living speak is one of happiness? What of the days you feel lonely, or sad, or—something else? "The Land of Happiness" by Laura Wang is an exploration of immigration and finding both language and tongue. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Laura Wang, edited by Aleksandra Hill. Audio edition read by Roanna Cruz and produce...

A mother, left behind on Earth, receives a birthday card from her son, who is worlds away. How much time do we have together with the ones we love, especially when they grow up and away? How much is remaining? Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Thomas Ha, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read by Kiran Fatima and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Visit khoreom...

You've been in this club before, because you've been in a thousand like it. Each night a loop. Except this one is too familiar—and not quite right. Read about love and loss on the dance floor in "This Is What You Came For" by Phong Quan. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Phong Quan, edited by Aleksandra Hill. Audio edition read by Ryan Froude and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by J...

In "Rattlers" by D.K. Lawhorn, dance and music mark the end of exile for two former outcasts once betrayed and hunted by the same allies who now seek to make amends. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by  D.K. Lawhorn , edited by Rowan Morrison. Audio edition read by Sarah Palmero and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, Insta...

"The Ballad of the Octopus" by Simo Srinivas is a haunting, luscious tale of an octopus who loses an arm to a man, who in turn devours it, hopelessly intertwining their lives and existences. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by Simo Srinivas , edited by Aleksandra Hill. Audio edition read by Sunny Osahn and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Visit khoreomag.com and fol...

Join us on a vessel taking its passengers far beyond Earth, using an unconventional source to help power its journey. "Mothership Connection" by Melissa A. Watkins is a glorious story about Black joy and kinship. Copyright khōréō magazine 2022. Story by Melissa A. Watkins , edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read by Torian Brackett and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCost...