Fiction
Storystorm
Why We Love Our Favorite Short Stories
05 October 2018 on Blog, Fiction, StorystormI’ll never forget the first time I read “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. My tenth-grade English teacher passed around a Tupperware container filled with folded squares of loose leaf—one piece...
Fiction
“No Fireworks Tonight” by Annie Schoonover
28 September 2018 on FictionOnce, in a fit of rage, Megan Kennedy cut off all of her daughter’s hair. They had less than an hour before they had to leave for Carrie Mullen’s birthday...
Fiction
“Wild Animals” by David Braga
20 April 2018 on Blog, FictionThe last time I saw Allison Moore, there was a cougar loose in our town. This happened from time to time. Every couple of years, a cat would come down...
Fiction
“All Them Saints” by Kim Bussing
16 March 2018 on FictionAs a dressmaker’s daughter, she should have known the risk of a bad seam. Rosemary had grown watching her father in his workshop, his couturier’s fingers finding piousness in velvet,...
The Writer's Hot Seat
The Writer’s Hot Seat: Alice McDermott
09 March 2018 on Blog, Fiction, The Writer's Hot SeatNational Book Award Winning author and UNH alumna Alice McDermott recently visited University of New Hampshire as part of UNH’S Department of English Writers Series. Enshrined in the glow of...
Fiction
“A Single Red Feather” by Jacqueline Guidry
09 February 2018 on FictionLee pulled up her shade. Workers in bright orange vests scurried around the plane, their movements impressively purposeful, though she had no idea what they were doing. She’d never flown...
Storystorm
What do we look for in fiction submissions?
09 February 2018 on Fiction, StorystormBarnstorm’s fiction readers have varied reading tastes and interests, but they share a common passion for stories. Recently, they weighed in on what they look for as they read fiction...
Fiction
“Tough Jobs” by Eric Rasmussen
08 December 2017 on FictionNothing should have survived the garage collapse. Holy lord, if only you could’ve seen it. The outer wall crashed into the alley and the roof fell straight down. The west...
Storystorm
The Landscape of Memory, or, My Characters Keep Getting Lost in The Desert
01 December 2017 on Blog, Fiction, Storystorm“[E]very pilgrimage to the desert is a pilgrimage to the self. There is no place to hide and so we are found.” -Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge I close my eyes...
Fiction
“The Art of Pipes and Faucets” by Abbie Lahmers
03 November 2017 on FictionDrew slipped out of the hospital last week and has been loafing around the neighborhood ever since. I spot him on my way to Pilates. If I’m late again, Diane...
Fiction
“The Other Side” by Sara Brody
29 September 2017 on FictionWhen I was a kid, my dad had an affair with his secretary, which might make you think I also had a dog and a picket fence and a mother...
Fiction
The Importance of Change: What Does Your Character Want?
10 May 2017 on Blog, FictionLast year, our fiction team brainstormed what Barnstorm looks for in a short story. The outline included strong, specific writing and surprising plot points. Our strongest desire, however, was for...
