Issue 121, Summer 2023

This summer, our writers contemplate bodies, whether those are physical bodies, bodies of work, or bodies of movements. Issue 121 examines people who became others: a man who impersonates Thomas Jefferson; the woman who inspired Ophelia Colley to become an unforgettable Nashville star. Benjamin Hedin travels to Tallahassee on the anniversary of the Dream Defenders’ occupation of the state capitol, where they began a collective movement to fight for all bodies to move freely through the world. We stop in the healing wilds of Arkansas and dine on crabs in Southwest Louisiana. Our features immerse us in the complexities of motherhood and desire. In Monic Ductan’s short story, we observe the trials, joys, absurdities, and fears of online dating, while poet Nomi Stone delights in motherhood. Emerging writer Giovannai Rosa guides us through Miami streets, haunted by previous generations. Martha Kelly invites us into the house that has become a generational home in Memphis. No issue of the OA is truly complete without music: Melissa Rugierri covers our Southern rock & roll president, while first-time contributor Jaydra Johnson finds inspiration in TLC.