Curated by Alia Luria, award-winning author, this collection celebrates stories which won awards in SOOP's first Annual Short Story Contest. Authors from multiple backgrounds and nations present their literary skills in an anthology diverse in both content and genre. From politics, espionage and civil unrest to aliens and other worlds, from birth to death and the kaleidoscope of human experiences in between, these stories are certain to make you ponder, increase your understanding, fill you with trepidation, or warm your heart. Enjoy the diversity of thought and form!