Freeman's: Family

Freeman's: Family is the second literary anthology in the series reviewers are calling “bold” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) and “refreshing” (Chicago Literati). Following a debut issue on the theme of “Arrival,” Freeman circles a new topic whose definition is constantly challenged by the best of our writers: family.

The issue opens with Aminatta Forna musing on the legacy of slavery as she settles her family in Washington, DC, where she is constantly accused of cutting in line whenever she stands next to her white husband. Award-winning novelist Claire Vaye Watkins delivers a stunning portrait of a woman in the throes of postpartum depression. Booker finalists Sunjeev Sahota and Marlon James remember the way work stretched the limits of their childhood networks. Alex Gilvarry recalls his father’s post-retirement flirtation with a biker gang. Even in the darkest moments, humor abounds. In Claire Messud’s home there are two four-legged tyrants; Aleksandar Hemon’s father declares war on raccoons; and Sandra Cisneros writes about her extended family of past lovers.

With outstanding, never-before-published pieces of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from literary heavyweights and up-and-coming writers—including Angela Flournoy, Alexander Chee, and Kiese Laymon—Freeman's: Family collects the most amusing, heartbreaking, and probing stories about family life emerging today.