Navigating obsessions, commemorating loved ones, cooking a meal, drinking with friends, picking at our bodies, reckoning with our choices, finding ways to connect, finding ways to exist in a world that doesn’t always accommodate us. Rituals give shape to our days and punctuate our years. It’s the large ones we remember the most, but it’s the small ones that carve out our lives for us.

This year’s theme, Ritual, resonated with so many creative writers in all different, wonderful ways. Our contributors picked through their lives, minds and imaginations to bring creative pieces spanning various genres and forms. Some will break your heart, while others will make you laugh. Most will do both.