Sunlit Smoke
Silence slithered between us. I wondered who it would bite first, poisoning with discomfort and the things that could be said but stayed firmly locked in both of our mouths.
On One Side the Ocean, the Other the Bay
They are so much smaller than you’d think,
the Assateague ponies marching
up from the marsh
to the road
like an olive branch.
The Case for Strange
The short story isn’t a mainstream mode of media consumption. We are changed by novels and films, of course. But there is something odder about the short story.
The Interlopers
He leaned over, his torso bending like a slip of paper, and pressed the stamp into the registry. When he got close, Cassie felt a faint fuzz on her skin, like touching an old TV screen.
Metamorphoses : Seth & Osiris
How can you tell a coyote isn’t born from the air
I saw one last night its eyes
the white first blush of a lantern carrying itself
to morning & I’m quiet now
The Bold Loneliness of a Real Life: A Review of Sandra Lim’s “The Curious Thing”
Casual frankness towards difficult subjects defines the millennial spirit and is also found in spades in Sandra Lim’s book, The Curious Thing. Though not a 90s kid herself, Lim treats themes of love, loneliness, and existential panic with this same sharp, clean candor.
A Conversation with the Voices in Your Head: Talking Out Your Writing
Many times, my professors have advised me to start small and expand. Begin an essay with the unique and expand that unique thing into something universal. For me, finding the “Big Picture” in my unique life experiences is extremely daunting. How do I make my life matter to everyone else?
“Animals” by Angie Ellis
The thing is, a bull like my dad could crush a bird with one reckless step and not even know it. Maybe that’s why no one buys his birdhouses.
This Is the Error That Fascinates
I asked
how does it feel to have no feelings?
They said
Like trying to eat a bagel, but when you bite down
the only thing in your mouth is the hole.
Leslie’s Mansion in the Sky
Leslie invited us to a New Year’s Eve party in her mansion in Sedona. I seldom have access to mansions, and at the invitation, my mind ran wild with images of spacious rooms, dripping jewelry, champagne glasses, and balconies that opened to mountain rock and night sky. Overwhelming but fun.
Tarot and You: A Tip on How to Defeat Writer’s Block
If you’re unsure of where you want a story to go, pull a tarot card and let its meaning guide the “future” of your story.
The Gaboon Viper
So that was that. She’d failed to save him, though no one could say she didn’t try.