Kite Kid by N. D. Rao A cynical hustler rediscovers his inner child during a gig gone awry in California's East Bay. Can he clean up his act? Fire And Ice by Rani Jayakumar A girl growing up in a small town reflects on her relationship with her dead mother and her alcoholic father as she struggles to reconcile the traditional Indian culture and mythology she was taught with her modern American upbringing, and her own dreams. Multicoloured Muffler by Nazia Kamali Sophia reaches Seoul with no knowledge of the local language and culture. All felt wrong until she meets Yi Soo, an aspiring novelist who works in a café nearby. Their love transcends all boundaries until one of them decides that it is not enough. Water for TsaTsa by Glenn Mori In Water for TsaTsa the expedition sent to negotiate mining rights discovers that the life forms on the planet exist in a manner wildly different from what they expected.

Glenn Mori has a master’s degree in music composition, works as a CPA, has used online poker winnings to pay for vacations, and—pre-pandemic, played in local jazz groups, but he spends most of his free time editing his own fictions. His most recent publication is in the inaugural issue of Tabula Rasa Review. He is also an Editorial Assistant with Every Day Fiction. N.D. Rao (he/him) is a writer and entrepreneur based in California's East Bay, on Ohlone land. His fiction explores postcolonial futures and has been published in The Festival Review, Coe Review, RIZE, Kajal Mag, Allegory Ridge, and the World Futures Review. He is working on a novel and a short story collection. Nazia lives in Dehradun, a small valley in the Himalayas. Her work has been published in FemAsia, The Indian Periodical, Rigorous, In Parenthesis, and several other magazines. Her stories will soon be published in The Best of 2021 Anthology by CafeLit, and 42 words Stories Anthology. Rani Jayakumar lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, teaching music and mindfulness. Her writing has been in Honeyguide Magazine, Ab Terra, Secret Attic, Vine Leaves Press, Scribes, Black Petals, Apocalypse Confidential, Academy of the Heart and Mind, and others. She has also self- published a book of short stories, a middle-grade book, and two children's picture books. This and her other work can be found at okachiko.wordpress.com

C O N T E N T S KITE KID 1 By N.D. Rao MULTICOLOURED MUFFLER 47 By Nazia Kamali WATER FOR TSATSA 223 By Glenn Mori FIRE AND ICE 301 By Rani Jayakumar Biographies 359 About RIZE 361