Joan Deschamps

When an older woman strikes up an unexpected friendship with the young, queer cater waitress at her husband's funeral, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

The story follows Liza, a woman dealing with severe compulsions and a strained family relationship as she tries to leave her house. She realizes she can’t when the house starts falling apart. Liza tries to put the pieces back together as her house and mental state crumble. Both end up completely falling apart in the end, only to reveal the twist. The whole time, Liza’s house was actually a doll house, controlled by the Real Liza. The Real Liza, a young child who has no other way to work out her unexpressed emotions, bashes her doll into her dollhouse until it caves and becomes crushed to bits.

Set in a dystopian United States, pregnant persons are required by law to give birth in front of a panel of judges. Failure to birth a living baby sentences the mother to immediate execution. The everyday, mundane births/deaths have zero effect on the judges as they devour their lunch like animals.

An adventurous wanderer meets a lonely tech coder, and together they embark on a journey of connection and discovery, exploring the way humanity relates to one another through the power of touch.

An independent woman in her early 20s reflects on her relationship with her grandmother and how it influenced her sustainable life as she prepares dinner with her friends.