We're thrilled to announce the publication of 'Rapture' by Kelly Ward. 'Rapture' is a work of fiction and the second installment in our Made In Appalachia series. Author Kelly Ward hails from Clay City, KY and is currently a fiction candidate at WVU Creative Writing

'Rapture' chronicles the end of the world as witnessed by wise-beyond-her-years teenager, Sarah. From a holler in far eastern Kentucky, Sarah and her brother Micah are forced to create a new normal under mysterious and scary circumstances. While they cope with the slow end of the world in different ways, Sarah reflects on what made life worth living in the first place.

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Kelly Ward is a fiction candidate in West Virginia University's MFA program and is a reader for the graduate program's literary journal, Cheat River Review. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in creative writing. Her work has been published in Button Eye Review. She writes speculative fiction set in Appalachia, and is quite lucky at finding four-leaf clovers.

"Five Little Fatalities" is a work of short fiction. It tells the story of Honey, a young woman living on the edge of a widower's farm in rural Virginia. Honey sells mushrooms and other intoxicants to the owner of the farm, Mr. An. The two develop a tender relationship despite their differences in age and circumstances. As Honey becomes closer to Mr. An and as his mental health deteriorates, she finds herself speculating as to the cause of his husband's departure. Examining their relationship patterns and artistic temperaments, Honey divines that she and Mr. An are not that unlike after all. "Five Little Fatalies" is a reflection on how isolation breeds unusual relationships to people, creativity, and art.

Longlisted for the Perennial Press 2022 Chapbook Award

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Emily Unwin is a queer writer living in Roanoke, Virginia. She’s the co-founder of Finley Light Factory and tacky! Magazine, recipient of the AAAC Grant. Emily studied poetry and narrative history under Natalie Eilbert (Indictus) and currently studies under Amy Bonnaffons (The Regrets). She has published or is forthcoming in Polyester Zine, Salty Magazine, Gigantic Sequins (finalist for the 2021 prize in flash fiction), and Rogue Agent, among others.

Photo: Sam Johnson