The Best American Essays 2013, ed. Cheryl Strayed, named Rolf Potts’ “Tourist Snapshots,” from The Common Issue 03, as a Notable Essay of 2012.
ISABEL CRISTINA LEGARDA
The cemetery had inhabitants, and not just those whose descendants had laid them to rest. Two old men were living on the Ordoñez plot. Next to the abandoned Llora mausoleum, a family of four had pitched their makeshift tent. As more squatters crept in, to whom the administrators of the Cementerio de Manila turned a blind eye.
NEWS AND EVENTS
We are thrilled to announce the finalists chosen for this year’s Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing in fiction. This year, 2025, marks the tenth anniversary of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, which supports immigrant writers whose work examines how immigration shapes our lives, our communities, and our world.
This holiday season, you could hear from one of your favorite authors—writers like Ann Patchett, George Saunders, and Stephen Graham Jones—or have them write a missive to the book nerd on your gift list.
Don’t miss an issue! Subscribe to The Common.