Debut Fiction: An Aster(ix) Anthology, April 2025

"There is no way I could have known that my own journey to debuting as a published author would take nearly two decades from those days in Paule Marshall's class," guest editor Cleyvis Natera reflects in her introduction letter. Aster(ix) published a sample of her novel in 2019, which helped Cleyvis find an agent. Her first book, Neruda on the Park, was published in 2022 by Ballatine Books. We are thrilled to welcome Cleyvis on a full circle journey to edit this issue. She writes, "The most daring and exciting work happening in fiction today is found in the pages of new writers." In this issue, we highlight emerging writers in fiction through short stories and excerpts from debut novels. Featuring work by Zabe Bent, Aimee R. Cervenka, Kleaver Cruz, Nicole Counts, Dionne Ford, Pilar García Guzmán, Ellen Hagan, Alba Delia Hernández, Cristina Herrera Mezgravis, Anna Kreienberg, Leo Martinez, Paloma Nieto, Frankie Ochoa, Naima Ramos-Chapman, and Sabrina Shie.