Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Foreword by Leslie Jamison
Introduction by Colleen Kinder
Symmetry
	To the Traveling Magician, GRANADA, NICARAGUA by Leslie Jamison
	To the Woman Who Found Me Crying Outside the Senate, WASHINGTON, DC, by Rachel Swearingen
	To the Father Paused Under the Tree, GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA, by Anjali Sachdeva
	To My Lost Trishaw Driver, MANDALAY, MYANMAR, by Pico Iyer
	To the Child on the Plane, THE CASCADES, OREGON, by Lia Purpura
	To My Arctic Vardøger, PYRAMIDEN, NORWAY, by Alexander Lumans
	To the Girl in the Tattoo Parlor, DALLAS, TEXAS, by Michelle Tea
	To the Face in the Subway Glass, BERLIN, GERMANY, by Annie Schweikert
Mystery
	To the Loner at High Altitude, TRES CRUCES, PERU, by Elizabeth Kolbert
	To the First Responder After the Storm, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, by David Parker Jr.
	To the Boy Who Climbed onto My Hammock, MAZUNTE, MEXICO, by Emily Matchar
	To the Man I Believe Was Good, PALERMO, ITALY, by Lauren Groff
	To the Man Who Saw Cobras Dance, AUROVILLE, INDIA, by Meera Subramanian
	To the Woman Who Wanted to Go Shoe Shopping, XI’AN, CHINA, by Vanessa Hua
	To the Chatty Man Who Pierced the Quiet, CANAAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, by Peter Orner
	To the Boo Radley of My Childhood, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, by Madelaine Lucas
	To the Grandfather I Hardly Knew, SICILY, ITALY, by Peter Turchi
	To My Grandmother, c/o the Mush Hole, TSI KANATÁHERE (BRANTFORD, ONTARIO), by Amber Meadow Adams
Chemistry
	To the Girl at the Riverbend, BAKER RIVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, by Howard Axelrod
	To the Stranger in My Family, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, by Kiki Petrosino
	To the Man Who Spoke with His Hands, SOUTH CHINA SEA, by Ying Reinhardt
	To the Taxi Driver Who Looped Back to Get Me, PARIS, FRANCE, by Irina Reyn
	To the Woman Whose Shoulder I Slept On, NEW YORK CITY TO BOSTON, by Naomi Gordon-Loebl
	To the Source Who Kept Changing Costume, DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, by Keija Parssinen
	To Father of the Baby with the Brain Freeze, TUCSON, ARIZONA, by Margo Steines
	To the Inescapable Teacher, PARAKOU, BENIN, by Erica Cavanagh
	To the Gambler I Met in Jury Duty, CHINATOWN, NEW YORK CITY, by Jenessa Abrams
	To the Stranger from the Silver Hour, ROCAMADOUR, FRANCE, by Colleen Kinder
Gratitude
	To the Pharmacist on Futong West Street, BEIJING, CHINA, by Monet Patrice Thomas
	To the Woman Who Spared Me an Orange, OAXACA, MEXICO, by Sarah Menkedick
	To the Driver I Followed, INTERSTATE 40, NORTH CAROLINA, by Matthew Olzmann
	To the Man Who Sold Me Shoddy Film, HARAR, ETHIOPIA, by Meron Hadero
	To Sandals Man, AN AIRPORT TERMINAL, CENTRAL CHINA, by Craig Mod
	To the Driver Who Was Not Godfrey, KAMPALA, UGANDA,  by Raksha Vasudevan
	To the Waiter Who Left Me a Tip, BEYOGLU DISTRICT, ISTANBUL, TURKEY, by Michael Agresta
	To the Doctor I Never Thanked, TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK, by Aria Beth Sloss
	To the Woman Who Walked Beside Me, YONKERS, NEW YORK, by Sarah Perry
	To the Drunk Mr. Flunchy, AVIGNON, FRANCE, by Gregory Pardlo
Wonder
	To the Seller of Breadcrumbs, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, by Cutter Wood
	To the Woman on the Park Bench, CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK CITY, by Aviya Kushner
	To My Steadfast Danish Soldier, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, by Julie Lunde
	To the Young German Horsewoman, Chosen to Help with Réttir, ÓBYGGDASETUR ÍSLANDS, ICELAND, by Pam Houston
	To the Lady of the Platform, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, by Jacquelyn Mitchard
	To the Italian Whose Name I Lost, FLORENCE, ITALY, by Julia Glass
	To the Traveler Who Hid Cash in Her Underwear, RWANDA–TANZANIA BORDER, by Ted Conover
	To the Lady of the Blackberries, HAPPY CAMP, CALIFORNIA, by Kelly Ramsey
Remorse
	To the Logari Who Asked About the Sun, LOGAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN, by Jamil Jan Kochai
	To the Roomful of Travelers Watching Reality TV, LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, by Anna Vodicka
	To Mario, 26-Year-Old Bestie to My 78-Year-Old Mom, SUNNYSIDE, WASHINGTON, by Faith Adiele
	To the Son of the Victim, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA, by Sophie Haigney
	To the Woman with the Restraining Order, HOODSPORT, WASHINGTON, by Meg Charlton
	To the Woman We Met Before the Flood, PAI, THAILAND, by Maggie Shipstead
	To the Servant Girl Who Shared My Toys, KARACHI, PAKISTAN, by Sheba Karim
	To the Keeper of the Fawn, CHISAGO CITY, MINNESOTA, by Sally Franson
	To the Woman Harboring a Gringo, SAN ISIDRO DEL GENERAL, COSTA RICA, by Jesse Donaldson
Farewell
	To the Poet Who Disappeared, OKINAWA, JAPAN, by Akemi Johnson
	To the Woman in the Earrings, PROVINCETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, by T Kira Madden
	To the Protagonist of a Too-Short Story, US ROUTE 17, NEW YORK, by Carlynn Houghton
	To the Follower of Cheikh Bamba, DAKAR, SENEGAL, by Emmanuel Iduma
	To the Father of the Lost Chilean Son, CHILEAN BASE, ANTARCTICA, by Carin Clevidence
	To the Man Who Had a Wife, COSHOCTON, OHIO, by Rachel Yoder
	To the One Who Was Supposed to Get Away, KO PHA NGAN, THAILAND, by Lavinia Spalding
	To the Stranger My Doctor Heard All About, PORTLAND, OREGON, by Robin Romm
	To the Deliveryman Who Gave Me a Lift, CARACAS, VENEZUELA, by Lucas Mann
	To the Girl I Didn’t Love on the Last Bus Home, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA, by Jeremy B. Jones
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS