Bodied

Maya is a 20-year-old with a graveyard shift at the post office, a Ma whose temper rises even faster than the rent, and a million headaches that come with life as a woman of color in New York City. Her escape from it all is her local arcade, home to New York's feisty, burgeoning fighting game tournament scene. But when she's banned for standing up to a trash-talker, even the arcade is taken away. Maya needs to partner with a team of up-and-coming players and learn to defeat not just her opponents, but also her own worst instincts.

Beneath Maya's quest for FGC glory shines a deeper story about how all of us are made by history—and how we can make history in our turn. "Bodied" is a unique coming-of-age story with sneaky literary chops, a modern mash-up between "The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and "A League of Their Own."

Eli Horowitz is a writer, fighting game fan, philosopher, basketball player, and software professional who lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife, Julie, and their pets, Miles and Simon. His work has been published by toptier.gg, Dexerto, and Current Affairs, and he has played basketball on two different continents. Find out more about his writing at elihorowitz.com and follow him @BODIEDnovel on Twitter for an endless stream of puns.