These days, reality can be hard to swallow. How do we get to the end of day, let alone the end of the week? Some people drink, others get therapy, but all of us—hidden in the secret places in the backs of our minds—have fantasies. These are what we wish for, fight for, live for. Maybe yours is a pretty girl. Maybe it's a better job. Maybe it's the love that'll swoop down makes everything seem okay. It's the fantasies that'll save us, but still—they're a dangerous thing. That pretty girl may not be so pretty tomorrow; that perfect job may not really exist; and what happens to love when you're so lost in a fantasy you can't see what's right in front of your face? The stories in Everyone Remain Calm explore the lines between fantasy and reality—how we move between the two in a crazy attempt to make our lives better. It's a hard journey—we get anxious, panicked, fearful, lost—our pulse quickens, shoulders tighten. We forget to breathe. These stories are a reminder.

Megan Stielstra's profile page

Megan Stielstra is a writer, storyteller, and literary director for 2nd Story, Chicago's urban storytelling series. She has performed for the Goodman Theatre, the Chicago Poetry Center, and National Public Radio. Her writing has been performed by the Serendipity Theatre Collective, Theatre Seven of Chicago, and Bohemian Archeology in New York. She teaches in the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College and is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Chicago.