Kenya

Kenya is the primary setting for the story "Polepole." Tired of her life in New England, main character Daisy travels to Kenya to work on a documentary. She thinks that the unfamiliar environment, culture, and language will free her from her life and identity. While there, however, she keeps waiting for something truly unexpected to grant her a deeper sense of escape. One morning, after sleeping with a local man, she becomes glaringly aware of what she has been avoiding. She does not belong in Kenya, and her work has not helped anyone in the way she kept trying to convince herself it would.

New York City

New York City is the setting for the story "Occupied." The main character, Ivy, lives here with her young son Nicky. One day, Ivy decides to wander down to Wall Street to see the Occupy encampment. As she meanders around, she...