PRODIGAL SUN by David Lydon-Staley
Fiction by David Lydon-Staley PRODIGAL SUN “What time dya say he was comin’?” I asked the wife. I had the teapot and some cups out. But should I get the kettle boiling was the question. For it to be ready,…
LEGIONELLA BACTERIA, by Zoé Mahfouz
Flash by by Zoé MahfouzLEGIONELLA BACTERIA Dear Landlord, I have to admit I was rather appalled by your tenancy agreement. I quote: “We confirm that we believe the Premises are safe and free from legionella bacteria,” really? What is it…
HIGHWAY 90, by Ellen Wilson
Nonfiction by Ellen Wilson HIGHWAY 90 We made the drive for the first time on Thanksgiving morning. My one-night stay was planned, but I had to be admitted through the emergency room, and our thinking was that by leaving in…
WE DON’T TALK, by Tracie Adams
Flash by Tracie AdamsWE DON’T TALK We have a pact, an unwritten and unspoken one. We don’t talk. Unless you count that one time every year when I call you and we chat for over an hour while your hair…
A FEW UNTIED ANGELS AT DUSK by Barrett Warner
Nonfiction by Barrett Warner A FEW UNTIED ANGELS AT DUSK Once so obvious and common—consumption now wears many disguises. It can live in an elbow, pretending to be bursitis. It can lodge in the brain or spine, like a migraine.…
YOUR CHILDHOOD WAS WITCHCRAFT, by Eden Royce
Flash by Eden RoyceYOUR CHILDHOOD WAS WITCHCRAFT Remember? When you licked the blood from your scraped knees and elbows, cleaning your wounds like an animal would, the taste of metal and salt on your tongue. The pulse of pain lessened…
TESTIMONY, by Connor Fisher
Flash by Connor FisherTESTIMONY I never touched the horse in question, although, at various points in my life I have, largely against my will, been made to saddle, groom, ride, and stroke horses. I did once approach the horse—an allegedly…
THE HYPHENATE, by Pamela Balluck
Nonfiction by Pamela BalluckTHE HYPHENATE I hyphenated my last name on my front-porch mailbox after a harebrained ex-boyfriend from my teens (he then in his late twenties) found me on the Internet in the twenty-first century, persistently emailed (despite initially…
SPITFIRE by Jeff Gabel
Fiction by Jeff GabelSPITFIRE My mother-in-law believes in signs. She believes in synchronicity and premonition. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for her obsession with death. When Neil and I told her we were naming our girl after…
YELLOW, by Jeffrey G. Moss
Flash by Jeffrey G. MossYELLOW It is a late October afternoon, darkness coming on quick, and Phyllis DeLuna, one of three widowed sisters who live across the street, is standing on her front stoop waving me over. “We’re putting the…
[ABUELITA PLANTING JARS AT BASE IN RATTLING CANE,] by Christopher David Rosales
Poetry by Christopher David Rosales[ABUELITA PLANTING JARS AT BASE IN RATTLING CANE,] Abuelita planting jars at base in rattling cane,whisking lilies, to allude your curve. A pedal in rotation only hints, spoked light, foot flat in utterance, shoestring. To you…
WHEN MOUNTAINS WERE PEOPLE by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles
Fiction by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles WHEN MOUNTAINS WERE PEOPLE Long ago when mountains were people there were two sisters, each so tall her forehead touched the sky, and each so beautiful that anyone who saw her stared in wonder. Between…
DUPLEX, by Elly Katz
Poetry by Elly Katz DUPLEX dark is darker than I remember was it a dream or a memory? rescue me from these shadows on the undersurface of spiral threads nude twists and turns mounting dismounting that called off glowing ground…
2023.32, by Bradley J. Fest
Poetry by Bradley J. Fest2023.32 Soaring amaranthis getting you down on the floor again? Diane Seuss’s long line’ll [1] set things right while hazarding the new kinds of loneliness. The body that is your body is and always has been…
HARD TIMES, RACE, AND CLASSIC MOVIES, by Margo Sanabria
Nonfiction by Margo SanabriaHARD TIMES, RACE, AND CLASSIC MOVIES By the time I was ten I was a classic movies devotee. It still makes me smile to think of an African-American child with cat-eye glasses, three pigtails, two in back…
ORIGIN STORY by Krista Puttler
Fiction by Krista Puttler ORIGIN STORY Mama, where do stories come from? They come from a dog’s ear. No, they don’t! They come from your fingertips! You mean fingernails. No, I don’t. Pens, pencils, keyboards… Blood, pain, anticipation… What are…
LITTLE ODE TO TAKING THE DOG OUT, by John Minczeski
Poetry by John Minczeski LITTLE ODE TO TAKING THE DOG OUT The last trip to the yard for the night, temperature not minus anything just now. The day, having lost its train of thought, clung to twilight like a lamprey.…
THE BODY SHOP, by Jessica Klimesh
Flash by Jessica KlimeshTHE BODY SHOP I find a pair of arms in my size and put them on, then exchange my middle-aged ears for some keener ones since Lyle says I don’t listen, says it’s just one of my…
BECAUSE AT LEAST WE DRINK FRESH ROAST, by Coleman Bigelow
Flash by Coleman BigelowBECAUSE AT LEAST WE DRINK FRESH ROAST When we first dropped out of design school, coffee was our everything—the intoxicating grounds providing just the jittering jolt our imaginations required. Each sip sending us bareback on burros ascending…
GOD’S LOVE IS TWO WOMEN FROM A QUILTING GUILD IN MISSOULA, MONTANA, by Kiely Todd Roska
Flash by Kiely Todd RoskaGOD’S LOVE IS TWO WOMEN FROM A QUILTING GUILD IN MISSOULA, MONTANA You fly halfway across the country to clean your mom’s house and plan her funeral. She died by suicide a week and a half…
TRUE NORTH, by Herman Beavers
Poetry by Herman BeaversTRUE NORTH Sidereal & reassuring, lightattired in the color of plums.Aching with sap, the trees’throb of sweetness’s likea ghost vexing me. Grass browningunder its pointed stare,a ground hog, back curved amongthe sycamore leaves, presses closeagainst the gravel,…
THE HOUSE WITH WALLS OF HONEY by Judith Serin
Nonfiction by Judith Serin THE HOUSE WITH WALLS OF HONEY in memory of Herbert Yee and 39 years together The house with walls of honey. Bees swarmed into the house and we let them stay. Their buzzing lulled our sleep.…
THE ARMAGEDDON SURF CLUB by Sinclair Cabocel
Fiction by Sinclair Cabocel THE ARMAGEDDON SURF CLUB When the trumpets sounded, Monica was propped up on her elbows, watching Mateo shred from the sandy shore. The other beachgoers swiveled their heads, as if they might find some passing band…
AI, THE END, by Anders Howerton
Poetry by Anders HowertonAI, THE END We had done it before with skylines,migrations, lasagna, and this too was alive, a chamber of neurons, layered like we are. Everyone ever known now looms before us. It rose like a scaffold, part…
ON THE OTHER HAND… (PART 2), by Clifford Thompson
Clifford Thompson ON THE OTHER HAND… (PART 2) Read ON THE OTHER HAND… (Part 1) Clifford Thompson’s books include What It Is: Race, Family, and One Thinking Black Man’s Blues (2019), which Time magazine called one of the most anticipated…
KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE: A Writing Tip by David Updike
David UpdikeKeeping the Dream Alive I almost never remember my dreams. This feels like a loss, because when I do, they offer glimpses into how the subconscious folds time and space to shape new narratives, much like an origamist folds…
WRITING AS A SOMATIC PROCESS: A Writing Tip by Vanessa Saunders
Vanessa SaundersWRITING AS A SOMATIC PROCESS To expand your approach to writing prose sentences, practice typing out pages from writers you admire. Doing a page every day helps me get an understanding of how different kinds of prose feel under my fingers. I also get the…
GREEN WORLD: A TRAGICOMIC MEMOIR OF LOVE AND SHAKESPEARE, by Michelle Ephraim, reviewed by Benjamin Selesnick
Nonfiction by Michelle Ephraim, reviewed by Benjamin SelesnickGREEN WORLD: A TRAGICOMIC MEMOIR OF LOVE AND SHAKESPEARE (University of Massachusetts Press) The genre of second generation Holocaust survivor memoirs has grown vast with contributions ranging from graphic novels like Maus to…
WONDERLAND, by Nicole Treska, reviewed by Monica Wendel
Nonfiction by Nicole Treska, reviewed by Monica WendelWONDERLAND (Simon & Schuster) Some memoirs feel like stories told in a therapist’s office. The white noise machine, a box of tissues, predictable healing arcs. Other memoirs can feel braggy, like the writer…
HOW TO NOT END A STORY: A Writing Tip by Cameron MacKenzie
Cameron MacKenzieHOW TO NOT END A STORY When I get to the end of a story I’m writing – especially if it’s a long and complicated story – I always want to really nail the landing. I want to stick…
FOR THE FUTURE OF GIRLS, by Lisa Grunberger, reviewed by Angelina Sciolla
Poetry by Lisa Grunberger, reviewed by Angelina SciollaFOR THE FUTURE OF GIRLS (Kelsay Books) Think about the first time you ran your hands over a relief map or globe—likely as a child in elementary school—and consider how your palms encountered…
STOP WRITING; WATCH BASKETBALL: A Writing Tip by Maggie Hill
Maggie HillStop Writing; Watch Basketball My introduction to poetry happened in Madison Square Garden, back when the New York Knicks were, well, The Knicks. It was the mid-1970s and I was a kid who liked basketball. I was a girl, so…
THE ART (AND SCIENCE) OF REVISION: A Writing Tip by Andrea Caswell
Andrea CaswellTHE ART (AND SCIENCE) OF REVISION Though most writers accept that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to revision, it doesn’t mean we don’t wish for one! It’s natural to want a “magic solution” for a process that can feel…
It Started with a List: CRAFTING A HELIX POEM, a Poetry Craft Essay by Eileen Toomey
A Poetry Craft Essay by Eileen ToomeyIt Started with a List: CRAFTING A HELIX POEM In August 2020, early in the pandemic, I was lucky to attend a remote workshop with poet Lidia Yuknavitch who shared with us a narrative…
HARVESTING SUBMISSIONS FROM A WORK IN PROGRESS: A Writing Tip by Sharon White
Sharon WhiteHARVESTING SUBMISSIONS FROM A WORK IN PROGRESS I’ve been writing a book about New Zealand painter Anna Caselberg. In 2019, I was a writer-in-residence in the house she lived in until her death in 2004. I loved being in…
DO YOU REALLY NEED A WEBSITE? A Writing Tip by Jackson Tatge
A Writing Tip by Jackson TatgeDO YOU REALLY NEED A WEBSITE? What comes up when you type your own name into Google? Has the internet been able to accurately describe you as well as you would have hoped? Does it…
THE BODY IS BURDEN AND DELIGHT, Poems by Sharon White
Poems by Sharon White, reviewed by Sara Verstynen THE BODY IS BURDEN AND DELIGHT, (Cornerstone Press) Sharon White’s The Body Is Burden and Delight was the perfect selection for The 2023 Portage Poetry Series, awarded annually by Cornerstone Press. The…
THE GENEROUS ACT OF PUBLISHING DRAFTS, a Poetry Craft Essay by Abbie Kiefer
A Poetry Craft Essay by Abbie Kiefer THE GENEROUS ACT OF PUBLISHING DRAFTS: Letting Poems Exist as Iterations Most of the poems in my debut book, Certain Shelter, appeared first in journals—and in almost every case, the book version of…
A CONVERSATION WITH SVEN BIRKERTS, Author of The Miró Worm and the Mysteries of Writing by Andrea Caswell
Interview by Andrea CaswellA Conversation with Sven Birkerts, author of The Miró Worm and the Mysteries of Writing (Arrowsmith Press) “Nothing defines a writer so much as what they pay attention to.” In his newest book, The Miró Worm and…
SALVAGING A DEAD STORY: A Writing Tip by Kate E Lore
Kate E Lore SALVAGING A DEAD STORY Sometimes a story can start off so strong, but still fizzle out somewhere between the middle and the end. Maybe you’ve got a beautiful visceral spark, this pulsing idea from which you set…
A PERSONAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF SOUND AS TOLD IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER by M. Lin
M. LinA PERSONAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF SOUND AS TOLD IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER Honorable Mention of the 2024 Cleaver Emerging Artist Award 1989: 乾你娘 – ‘gan4 ni3 niang2’ – ‘gan’ in the 4th tone meaning fuck. As in ‘you motherfucker’ If…
TOSTA MISTA/MIXED TOAST by Oona Patrick
Oona PatrickTOSTA MISTA/MIXED TOAST On my first trip to Portugal, I ate tosta mista, or mixed toast, nearly every day because it was the only sandwich I knew how to pronounce. The mista distinguishes your order from cheese toast or…
THE BLUE PEN by Alex Rost
Alex RostTHE BLUE PEN I’m writing this with a blue pen. Traditionally, and consistently, I’ve always been a black pen kind of guy. I think most of us are. You can say that about a lot of things. You can…
CATSUIT by Cameron MacKenzie
Cameron MacKenzieCATSUIT Every time Ally’s mom’s boyfriend fed his ball python, he played “Mouth for War,” by Pantera. My friend Tyler and I would squat beside the snake’s aquarium under the hot light and watch the little mouse as it…
SUMMONED TO PERFORM AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT by Holaday Mason
Holaday MasonSUMMONED TO PERFORM AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT 1. It’s so late I can hear my grandmother, Margery, slap an ace-high straight down on linoleum, light a Doral, become smoke. We are so wet again, our pool hair…
PRECIOUS THINGS by A.L. Gordon
A.L. GordonPRECIOUS THINGS Winner of the 2024 Cleaver Emerging Artist Award “Precious Things” by A.L. Gordon was one of those submissions that wowed me by how unafraid and emotionally raw it is in its subject, while still being beautifully crafted…
FRAGMENTS FOR AN IDENTICAL TWIN by Marj Hahne
Marj HahneFRAGMENTS FOR AN IDENTICAL TWIN Cleave. Ends with leave. Let’s begin there. Because there includes here. Whenever you leave, I sense my own absence. Right before the last time you left, you screamed, “You got what you wanted! I’m…
HOW A BOY COULD BE by Jen Murphy Parker
Third Place, Duality Creative Nonfiction Contest, 2024 Like all good personal essays, this one brings the humility and wisdom of experience to bear on a look at a past self, with sympathy for that self. The boy of the title…
HER HEART WAS A CHIPMUNK by Michael Czyzniejewski
Michael CzyzniejewskiHER HEART WAS A CHIPMUNK She said her heart was a chipmunk, said it on our first date. I figured she was being poetic, saying something like My heart is a chipmunk to mean she herself was like a…
CANARYVILLE GIRLS by Eileen Toomey
Second Place, Duality Creative Nonfiction Contest, 2024 This short gem manages to tell us almost nothing, and yet everything, about the girls of the title, capturing the complex dance between person and environment. The descriptions of what these girls pass…