Us in Flux

Us in Flux is a new series of short stories and virtual gatherings that explore themes of community, collaboration, and collective imagination in response to transformative events. Every other Thursday, we’ll publish a new, original piece of flash fiction with an interactive chat with the author and their special guests the following Monday at 4PM Eastern.

Upcoming stories

July 9: “The Wandering City,” by Usman Malik

July 23: A story by Ernest Hogan

August 6: A story by Ray Mwihaki

Upcoming events

Us in Flux: Conversations—Usman Malik [Online] - MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020 1:00 pm, Arizona time (4:00 pm Eastern) Register
Us in Flux: Conversations—Regina Kanyu Wang and Athena Aktipis [Video-Past Event] - MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 1:00 pm, Arizona time (4:00 pm Eastern) Register
“A Cyber-Cuscuta Manifesto” by Regina Kanyu Wang - A story about big data, emerging life forms, and a plea for coexistence.
“Notice” by Sarah Pinsker - A tale of unanticipated mail and the limits of self-reliance.
Us in Flux: Conversations— Sarah Pinsker and Punya Mishra [Video–Past Event] -
“Fourth and Most Important” by Nisi Shawl - A tale of coded messages, clandestine drone deliveries, and surprising alliances.
Us in Flux: Conversations— Nisi Shawl and Ayana Jamieson [Video–Past Event] -
Five separate works by Nina Miller for the Us In Flux series. From left to right; a quilt sewn with black thread, embroidered leaves, fabric resist and dye piece, a second quilt sewn with white thread, a woman embroidered with thread The Art of Us in Flux: An Interview with Nina Miller - A conversation about art that visualizes the future, creative expression in moments of crisis, and how art can be a path into fictional worlds.
Two portraits embroidered on a quilt. The portrait on the left is stitched with black thread on white linen and the portrait on the right is stitched with various colored thread on a dark denim patch. “Skating Without Streetlights” by Tina Connolly - A story about virtual reality, friendship, and the unexpected benefits of impersonation.
Us in Flux: Conversations— Tina Connolly and Dennis Bonilla [Video–Past Event] -
A couch in front of a window, but it is pieced from multiple fabrics and quilted. It is fragmented and multicolored. “A Room of One’s Own” by Tochi Onyebuchi - A tale of quantum entanglement and self-care.
Us in Flux: Conversations—Tochi Onyebuchi and Michael G. Bennett [Video–Past Event] -
Fabric resist and dye piece depicting the moon over the ocean. “When We Call a Place Home” by Chinelo Onwualu - A utopian tale of historical memory, the dangers of forgetting…and vampires.
Us in Flux: Conversations—Chinelo Onwualu and Robert Evans [Video–Past Event] -
Green linen embroidered with the white outline of a squirrel, and five leaf shapes cut from multiple colors of fabric secured to the linen with cross stitches in various colors. “An Attempt at Exhausting My Deck” by Kij Johnson - A short story about backyard ecology, interspecies communities, careful observation, and solitude without loneliness.
Us in Flux: Conversations—Kij Johnson and Jessie Rack [Video—Past Event] -
Illustrationdone in fabric, quilted landscape with small person looking over vast hills covered in crops. “The Parable of the Tares” by Christopher Rowe - A short story about food, monoculture, and communities that draw together the human and nonhuman.
Us in Flux: Conversations—Christopher Rowe and Michael Bell [Video—Past Event] -