by-the-wind-sailor

In by-the-wind-sailor, a man in his late twenties who still lives with his parents gets laid off from his job at an Asian grocery store. He finds himself unable to admit this fact to his family and continues to pretend to go to work, instead visiting a local aquarium, becoming more and more entranced with the marine life exhibits to the point where reality begins to blur. This chapbook explores the stigma around mental health in households of color, particularly with practices like therapy and medication, how suffering can feel comfortable when you’ve been used to it for so long, and the discomfort it takes to overcome the hurdles needed to get better.

Maya Cheav is a Cambodian-American writer and the author of the poetry chapbooks Lykaia (Bottlecap Press, 2023) and Tan’s Donuts (Chestnut Review, 2025). Her writing has been featured in Stone of Madness, ALOCASIA, Scapegoat Review, The Weaver, Across the Margin, and elsewhere. She was a top 10 finalist for the 2023 Palette Poetry Chapbook Prize, guest judged by Danez Smith, as well as a 2024 Tin House Workshop alum, under the faculty mentorship of Roy G. Guzmán. She was a 2024–2025 poet in residence with Collections of Transience and a Season 22 AWP Writer to Writer Poetry Mentor. They participated in the 30:30 project with Tupelo Press in November 2025 and are the assistant communications manager at Chestnut Review. Their flash fiction is featured in the Kevin Atwater “Achilles” Literary Collection to accompany his song “Call of Duty.”