It Was Paradise

A special issue on the intersection of war, conflict, and environmental justice, edited by Sonia Sulaiman and featuring essays, poetry, fiction, and art by Mónica Robles Corzo, Bahar Davoudi, Caroline Hung, B.B.P. Hosmillo, Rajiv Moté, Sonya Taaffe, Gayathri Kamath, Adamu Yahuza Abdullahi, Tony Brinkley, Sheree Renée Thomas, Anastasiia Omelianiuk, Gospel Chinedu, JoeAnn Hart, Ryan Clark, Tehnuka, Irene W. Collins, Ramez Yoakeim, Abdulrazaq Salihu, and Prosper C. Ìféányí.

Ebook release: March 23, 2026
e-ISBN: 978-1-955360-15-9
Amazon
Weightless Books

Print release: September 22, 2026
Trade paper, perfect bound.
ISBN: 978-1-955360-19-7

Contents

War Monster Glyph — Art — Mónica Robles Corzo March 23, 2026
Editorial — Essay — Sonia Sulaiman March 23, 2026
In the Video: A Woman with Her Newborn [Content Warning] — Poetry — Bahar Davoudi March 30, 2026
Adobo Sky — Fiction — Caroline Hung April 6, 2026
Gratefulness — Poetry — B.B.P. Hosmillo April 13, 2026
In the Foothills — Fiction — Rajiv Moté April 20, 2026
Reap the Rules — Poetry — Sonya Taaffe April 27, 2026
Akka — Fiction — Gayathri Kamath May 4, 2026
post-interview poem or what i wrote after reading the news — Poetry — Adamu Yahuza Abdullahi May 11, 2026
After Gaza — Art — Tony Brinkley May 18, 2026
Chickasaw Bluff Blues — Poetry — Sheree Renée Thomas May 25, 2026
Where did the sea come from? — Essay — Anastasiia Omelianiuk June 1, 2026
Omen — Poetry — Gospel Chinedu June 8, 2026
Original Mandate — Fiction — JoeAnn Hart June 15, 2026
How You Wait — Poetry — Ryan Clark June 22, 2026
Sowing Kottravai — Fiction — Tehnuka June 29, 2026
Life According to Tabeeb — Fiction — Ramez Yoakeim July 13, 2026
Drowning the Boats — Poetry — Abdulrazaq Salihu July 20, 2026
Nature Knows A Little About Blooming — Poetry — Prosper C. Ìféányí July 27, 2026

A previous edition of It Was Paradise included the poem “The River Forgets Us First” by Irene W. Collins.