I never say abuse. Instead, I slide into cliché. It was no picnic, I say. Had a rough childhood, but the texture means nothing to anyone else.
Silence, Stillness by Lisa Nikolidakis
Category: Essays
Self-Portrait by Hayli Cox
Wet paint wrinkles up thin pages like the skin of an aging woman. A quick stroke of coral forms a sagging smile.
Points of Departure by Corey Ginsberg
The rat floated toward me. His small legs pushed him through the water toward where I lay meditating next to my backyard pool.
Spook by Will Dart
Some people daydream about tropical islands, or tall ships, or sex with their classmates. I spend that time confronting the grim reality of my own imminent demise.
The Missing Piece by Michael Narkunski
My date was from OKCupid, told me he was bipolar but “over it,” dragged me to three different bars, and didn’t even make out with me for my trouble.
Not Here by Joshua Williams
I was a twenty-year-old white kid with a preposterous camera bag. I stayed for a while and then I left.
Escape from Candyland by Anthony Spinner
Amos was six-foot-five and weighed 300 pounds. The vacant, insincere smile plastered to his lips made it seem he knew embarrassing information about you.
The Lord Won’t Mind by Gregg J. Orifici
Amidst the titles we didn’t understand—about menopause, bi-polarity, What Color is Your Parachute—one book stood out, like a billboard: The Joy of Sex.
A Geography of Grief by Sarah Kilch Gaffney
On July 21, 1923, my maternal grandfather was born in a small fishing village in the Bay of Fundy. White Head, so named because of the array of white quartz at the head of the island…
Until Gwen by Tina Mortimer
The display flashed “Great workout!” and a sense of dread dug its claws deep in my belly. I stepped off the treadmill feeling like I was still moving, my heart doing that flutter thing again.
