Around you, nothing spreads in all directions. Zero is the cardinality of an empty set: representing a resting point; a starting point; an ending point. With the rustling of withering leaves, the works in sinθ #25 “ZERO 零” circle, dance, and morph, freely traversing these paradoxical relationships. This issue features writing shortlisted in Sine Theta’s 2022 summer writing contest.
In this issue:
- Senior Editor C. Grace Chang and writer Belinda Huijuan Tang converse about loss, trauma, and mathematics in her debut novel A Map for the Missing, as well as the experience of drawing from family histories when writing fiction.
- Jacqueline Xiong and Naomi Xu Elegant set quiet revelations against atmospheres of mist and rainy weather in two moving short stories, while Samuel Cai offers warmth in “The End of Fire Season.”
- Junior Editor Stella Li chats with director, producer, and playwright Chloe Chow about Asian American theater, motherhood and growing up, and their original play.
- Assistant Web Editor Joanne Zou profiles writer Leah Jing McIntosh about their magazine Liminal, discussing community building, hope, and what it means to make change.
- Lisabelle Tay turns to the grounding potential of nature in “Dream of the Ploughed Field.”
- Stories by Bojin Zhu, Jessica Dai, and Danielle Shi illuminate small moments of connection, observing the profound in seemingly mundane encounters.
- Digital media and prints by Elizabeth Cheng transport us to surreal dreamscapes echoed by Noah Hrung’s haunting work in charcoal and graphite; by contrast, visual art by Melissa Wang and Henry Hu present landscapes of evocative stillness.
- Poems by Suxi, Erika Jing, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Judy Chiu, J. Sun, Rachel TonThat, and Erika Jing will soothe and startle, bringing to life the cities of Beijing and Zurich; the expanses of love and homonyms; the surrender of water.