From chance encounters to generational family bonds, relationships form the basis of life. Through seven short stories, Chickens in Your Hair and Other Stories introduces readers to a cast of characters showing what it means to live the human experience. Two young friends grapple with being seen and known in the tumultuous landscape of growing up. A grieving teenager longs for a last moment with a departed loved one. A lonely woman stumbles upon a chance to open herself up to life and love again. A recently retired man decides how to fill his time in his third act. And a soon-to-be mother ponders on what has been and what will be. In a blend of stories both melancholy and hopeful—sometimes in the same breath—Chickens in Your Hair and Other Stories proves to be a poignant debut by Hailie Duncan.