Simone Kasischke

The short story “Camp” by Shah Tazrian Ashrafi, appears in volume 74.1-2, our 75th anniversary issue, and explores the dystopian world of a mother who has lost her daughter in an accident. “Camp” is a place where parents who have lost their children can go and find a child to replace the one who has died. The story explores many facets of grief, and we talked to Shah about where the idea for the story came from, the power of a good dystopia, and his literary mentors.