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midnight & indigo: celebrating Black women writers
midnight & indigo is a literary journal dedicated to short fiction and narrative essays by Black women writers.
Eight Black women writers from the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa share unforgettable short stories and essays that prove memory is anything but still.
In these pages, ordinary lives become extraordinary. In When the Leaves Fall by Morgan Christie, we follow Mr. Garvey, an aging father navigating the early stages of dementia, whose search for something familiar transforms into a meditation on love and home. Chiamaka Okike’s Pepper Soup blends food and feeling, as one woman invites her former lover back to her table—serving a dish that carries both heartbreak and healing. Nyasha Mutunhu’s Footnote places us inside a Florida home bracing for a Category 4 hurricane, where a daughter uncovers a family secret hidden in a Polaroid. And in Nagueyalti Warren’s Namesake, Selma Montgomery wrestles with the Civil Rights–era legacy written into her very name, and the expectations that come with it.
The essays turn inward, offering intimate reflections on identity, history, and belonging. In Under the Big Sky, Chandra Marshall seeks solace in the Montana wilderness, discovering resilience and wonder in the presence of bison. Bria Soleil’s Belonging in A Brooklyn Love Story explores memory as resistance, mapping a complicated love for a neighborhood transformed by change. In You Will Always Be Slightly Broken, Nala Washington crafts a lyrical memoir-in-verse that illuminates the beauty and imperfection of survival. And in The Hard Year, Rimi Oni confronts chronic pain, faith, and the body’s fragility with raw honesty and strength.
Together, these works create a literary tapestry that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. They speak to readers who crave contemporary short stories and narrative essays rooted in the richness of Black women’s voices—readers who find meaning in the intersections of family, history, and self-discovery.
This issue of midnight & indigo is a vital addition for anyone who reads Black and African American literature, women’s fiction, or literary anthologies that expand how we think about memory, identity, and belonging. Whether you are a devoted fan of short stories, a lover of essays, or simply a literary reader searching for fresh, powerful voices, this collection offers unforgettable storytelling that lingers long after the last page.
Contributors Morgan Christie, Chandra Marshall, Nyasha Mutunhu, Chiamaka Okike, Rimi Oni, Bria Soleil, Nagueyalti Warren, and Nala Washington.
Eight Black women writers from the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa share unforgettable short stories and essays that prove memory is anything but still.
In these pages, ordinary lives become extraordinary. In When the Leaves Fall by Morgan Christie, we follow Mr. Garvey, an aging father navigating the early stages of dementia, whose search for something familiar transforms into a meditation on love and home. Chiamaka Okike’s Pepper Soup blends food and feeling, as one woman invites her former lover back to her table—serving a dish that carries both heartbreak and healing. Nyasha Mutunhu’s Footnote places us inside a Florida home bracing for a Category 4 hurricane, where a daughter uncovers a family secret hidden in a Polaroid. And in Nagueyalti Warren’s Namesake, Selma Montgomery wrestles with the Civil Rights–era legacy written into her very name, and the expectations that come with it.
The essays turn inward, offering intimate reflections on identity, history, and belonging. In Under the Big Sky, Chandra Marshall seeks solace in the Montana wilderness, discovering resilience and wonder in the presence of bison. Bria Soleil’s Belonging in A Brooklyn Love Story explores memory as resistance, mapping a complicated love for a neighborhood transformed by change. In You Will Always Be Slightly Broken, Nala Washington crafts a lyrical memoir-in-verse that illuminates the beauty and imperfection of survival. And in The Hard Year, Rimi Oni confronts chronic pain, faith, and the body’s fragility with raw honesty and strength.
Together, these works create a literary tapestry that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. They speak to readers who crave contemporary short stories and narrative essays rooted in the richness of Black women’s voices—readers who find meaning in the intersections of family, history, and self-discovery.
This issue of midnight & indigo is a vital addition for anyone who reads Black and African American literature, women’s fiction, or literary anthologies that expand how we think about memory, identity, and belonging. Whether you are a devoted fan of short stories, a lover of essays, or simply a literary reader searching for fresh, powerful voices, this collection offers unforgettable storytelling that lingers long after the last page.
Contributors Morgan Christie, Chandra Marshall, Nyasha Mutunhu, Chiamaka Okike, Rimi Oni, Bria Soleil, Nagueyalti Warren, and Nala Washington.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2025
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