“Going Unplugged for the Holidays” is a letter from the senior editor, exploring Christmas, poverty, faith, and intentional parenting. Drawing from lived experience, Monique Franz examines Santa, economic inequality, and the impact of technology on Christmas. In the letter, she advocates for unplugged holidays that prioritize family connection, spiritual meaning, and shared values over consumerism.

“Social Media vs. Mental Health: Is There a Healthy Balance?” is a timely question in 2025. Drawing from personal experience, Arnett explores the emotional impact of growing up online. The article highlights links between social anxiety, self-worth, and internet use while encouraging real-world connections, healthier habits, and rediscovering hobbies as steps toward balance.

“POWER GAMES” challenges what many take for granted, stable, accessible electricity. Through personal anecdotes, the article shares tips and tricks for daily life in Nigeria. It explores how unreliable power reshapes routines and survival strategies, ultimately creating an adaptive way of life. The piece captures how an entire nation learns to cope, improvise, and endure amid constant power uncertainty.

“The Spirit Board” by Jonathan Brònico — In their new home, one family’s ghost story turns horrifyingly real when two children invite a restless spirit to play.

In “Sunflower,” Elaine Joy Edaya Degale explores identity, belonging, and colorism through a Black American-Filipina lens—an intimate, lyrical reckoning with race, privilege, and home between New York and Mindanao.

“Push shove. Push shove.” In Odette Cortés’ “Orpheus Underground,” the subway becomes an underworld — a place where myth meets the modern commute, and the rhythm of survival hums beneath the city’s surface.

by Odette Cortés Born and raised in Mexico, I remember that my elementary class was shown the caste system, which was the backbone of New...