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Outsourcing by DS Maolalai
“and the beer / tastes of bathwater / but water is not safe / to drink, and so / here we are” excerpt from Outsourcing, …
Purpose and Apex Beat by Rashmi Bhopi
“Dragging the laundry basket to the washer, she saw an ant meander on the kitchen top.” – excerpt from micro fiction by Rashmi Bhopi #TheMetaworker …
Sharh on Sunan Ibn Majah 3914 by Reyzl Grace
“For a moment, / the tip of your finger / lights / on the edge of my hand…” – excerpt from Sharh on Sunan Ibn …
Swerve (you’re hit) by Charles Sutphin
content warnings drunk driving [906 words] A mouse darts across the road and stops in front of your car. For a dog or squirrel you …
Five Micro-Fictions by Ken Poyner
[500 words] CIVIC INTERESTOur pond monster is the best. He waits under unruffled water, eyes only visible if you grow too close: a flash of …
suburban suicides by Arushi Aera Rege
content warnings mental health, suicide as metaphor [743 words] The first time he pulled out the pretty-boy attitude and the curly hair and that damn …
little mercies by Arushi (Aera) Rege
content warnings eating disorders, anorexia [321 words] Yesterday, I drove myself down to the ocean. Took the I-10 for the …
Through the Motions by Diane Funston
[76 words] The panther paces her cage. Heavy velvet paws pad the cell, back and. forth left. and right. Her …
Light the Fire by LeAnna McEuen
[242 words] Light the fire my old Druid sonFlick the match as an odeWatch embers float into the nightMemories disappearing …
Podcast
The Metaworker Podcast | 025 The Draft I Buried, Part 1
Elena, Mel, and Cerid speak with Kathryn Temple and Matthew Smallwood about unfinished work. #TheMetaworkerPodcast …
The Metaworker Podcast | 024 Pushcart Prize Nominees, Part 2
Episode Description: In Part 2 of our Pushcart Prize Nomination podcast series, we review three pieces: one of poetry, one of creative nonfiction, and one …
The Metaworker Podcast | 023 Pushcart Prize Nominees, Part 1
Listen to the newest podcast episode! Elena, Mel, and Cerid discuss three of their nominees for the 2024 Pushcart Prize, plus readings and interviews with …
The Metaworker Podcast | 022 Creating Anthologies, Part 3
Elena, Mel, and Cerid discuss Mel’s launch of River and Stone and Cerid’s updates for Artificial Sweetener, as well as the thought and care that …
Micro
and i agree by Breton Lalama
and i agree, a micro poem by Breton Lalama #TheMetaworker #MetaworkerMonday …
Five Micro-Fictions by Ken Poyner
“Our pond monster is the best. He waits under unruffled water, eyes only visible if you grow too close…” excerpt from …
Three Micros by Jacqueline Goyette
Three micro fiction pieces by Jacqueline Goyette #TheMetaworker …
The Finding Momo Birthday by Madlynn Haber
[732 words] My mother’s birthdays became occasions for celebration. For her seventieth birthday, my sister and I took her to New York City for a …
You Forget How Wet A Fire Is by Mitch Kampf
content warnings descriptions of burning, natural disaster [723 words] You forget how wet a fire is. The water flows so naturally. New rivers run down …
Puppeteering by Jackson Mattocks
content warnings depression, mention of self harm [2378 words] After only a few months into my master’s program, each day had become just another attempt …
Self Portrait by Sean Bw Parker
A self-portrait, using acrylic, watercolour and ink on cardboard. Sean Bw Parker (MA) is a writer, artist and musician based …
Mother and Child by Julie Mota Kondi
Pen and ink drawing inspired by social changes in built-in environmental landscapes. Julie Mota Kondi is a freelance artist who …
Artwork by Gregg Williard, from “Scared Boy with Theory and Mask”
These drawings are part of an unpublished illustrated novella, “Scared Boy with Theory and Mask”, drawn and written by Gregg …
Interviews
The Dead Are Not Dead: A Review by Lena Bramsen of the Afrofuturistic Graphic Novel, Zana
“Zana imagines an Afrofuturistic scenario set in 2048, where Nelson Mandela had died while imprisoned… and the entire continent finds …
Darkness and Wit, Delusion and Hope: Writing and Art from Parchman Unit 29, a book review by Amita Basu
A book review of Parchman Unit 29, poems, drawings, and creative non-fiction pieces that constitute a powerful call for systemic …
Looking Back to Forge Forward: A Catchup Series by Lena Bramsen
“An interview compilation with some of The Metaworker’s first contributors, reflecting upon the past and updating us on their careers.” …
Speculative Fiction & Poetry
Exhibits in Orbit by Paige Eaton
“In a different reality a murder encompasses the tree / of metal spires, lining the ground with pebbles” excerpt from …
The Dead Are Not Dead: A Review by Lena Bramsen of the Afrofuturistic Graphic Novel, Zana
“Zana imagines an Afrofuturistic scenario set in 2048, where Nelson Mandela had died while imprisoned… and the entire continent finds …
Princess and Dragon by Amy Forstadt
“Did you know I killed a dragon once? / A bully made of scales and fire” – excerpt from Princess …
Sharh on Sunan Ibn Majah 3914 by Reyzl Grace
[309 words] —for E. R. Shaffer For a moment, the tip of your finger lights / on the edge of my hand like the toe …
Anathematikon, Part III by Lukas Jackson
[180 words] a new day dawns wolves are howling far across the moon a spun night dark the mighty rapids rise wind beats against the …
Desiccation Daze by Marla Dial Moore
[247 words] Marla Dial Moore is a recovering journalist who previously worked for The Associated Press and various news publications in Arizona and Texas. She …
Triptych by Tim Love
[656 words] LEFT PANEL Life looked ahead long before it could remember. The better we could anticipate the future, the …
The Needle Man by Clint Sabom
content warnings reference to drug use [1291 words] In my worry chamber birds fly east and west but never north …
Walking the Parks by Seth Wright
I stood on the hill gazing down at Pinkerton Park in Franklin, Tennessee, my camera aiming at each piece of …