Sera Barbieri

A customer support rep monitoring late-night calls at an AI companionship service impersonates an artificial hostess to speak with a client that she’s developed affection for. A story of profound loneliness and the disappointments of human nature.

Port Townsend, WA, is the setting for the aberrations of Lilith, a traumatized painter who lives largely in isolation. Her only confidante is Kat, an aspiring writer who cares for Lilith, though her boundaries of morality and professionalism are unclear. When Lilith decides to stop taking her medication, she begins to paint again for the first time since her trauma. By resuming her work, Lilith becomes increasingly obsessed with the alchemical process of creation and destruction.

Lena et son fils de 9 ans, affectueusement appelé Potato, tentent d’échapper à la dure réalité de leur Vladivostok natal après la chute de l’Union soviétique, en regardant des films américains. Emportée par le fantasme d’une vie meilleure, Lena décide de se marier par correspondance avec un Américain afin qu’elle et Potato puissent s’installer aux États-Unis. Arrivés à Seattle, Potato et Lena réalisent que l’Amérique regorge de surprises.