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Where great stories are forged.

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • About The Metaworker
    • Editorial Staff
    • Privacy Policy
  • Submit
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Wish List
  • Archives
    • The Metaworker Podcast
    • Gallery of Metaworker Artists
    • The Forge – A Monthly Newsletter
  • Contact Us
    • Volunteer at The Metaworker
    • Donations & Merch

Author: The Metaworker

We are The Metaworker, an online literary magazine where great stories are forged. Our mission is to publish great things to read. Send us the stuff you don’t think will be published anywhere else. We want new ideas, words that make us ponder, narratives that upend stereotypes. We don’t care if you’re an established writer or someone who’s never been published before, if you're a student or returning to writing after a career in something else, if you're 16 or 80, if you live in the United States, in India, in New Zealand, in Mexico – if you’ve got something you think needs to be shared with the world, submit it to us! We publish prose, poetry, art, and more on our website every Monday at noon PST, plus we sometimes post fun extras (like our podcast episodes) on Wednesdays or Fridays.
Three Microfictions by Conor Barnes
Fiction / Micro

Three Microfictions by Conor Barnes

August 15, 2022March 23, 20240

The Dongle You thought you were arriving at the train an hour early, but you got the times wrong and happened to get there just …

“Fallen Leaves” by Rhys Lee
Poetry

“Fallen Leaves” by Rhys Lee

August 12, 2022September 3, 20220

Rhys Lee is a Masters candidate at Mount Saint Mary’s University. He has poetry published in The Driftwood at Point Loma Nazarene University. Image

“The Firelets – A Fireside Tale” by Christiana Thomas
Fiction

“The Firelets – A Fireside Tale” by Christiana Thomas

August 8, 2022March 23, 20240

The wind howled and tore through the treetops, and our horses, Highland and Orion, crowded together to share their heat, but I was warm and …

“The Last Atlantean” by David Henson
Poetry

“The Last Atlantean” by David Henson

August 5, 2022November 27, 20221

Atlantis Without Birds Marble women in gardens used to reach into the sky and gather birds by the armful.  Raindrops brought them down in scores to swallow worms they …

The Metaworker Podcast | 012 Ink Runs in Our Veins: Editor Chat Part 2
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 012 Ink Runs in Our Veins: Editor Chat Part 2

August 3, 2022March 6, 20240

Episode Description: Matthew, Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk about how they got into writing and why they are involved in the publishing world, even as …

“The Day in Yellow” by Shelley Davenport
Fiction

“The Day in Yellow” by Shelley Davenport

August 1, 2022August 7, 20222

Afternoon. Deep afternoon. Long afternoon.  Too deep. Too long. Sylvie in her quilted bed.  Try to sleep. Go to sleep. Quickly now! Go to sleep. …

“For Scale” by Daune O’Brien
Poetry

“For Scale” by Daune O’Brien

July 29, 2022September 3, 20221

My mother sayslife is goodshe is happydown sixmaybe seven —- no, eight poundssince catching upto her too-thin sisterwho is losing weight to chemofastand I want …

“Dart Away” by Jamie Spenser
Poetry

“Dart Away” by Jamie Spenser

July 25, 2022August 27, 20230

Jamie Spenser‘s poetry has been published in New York Quarterly, Sheila-Na-Gig, and Disappointed Housewife. His outpourings about TV commercial production and the art-rock band Devo …

Microfictions by Ken Poyner
Fiction / Micro

Microfictions by Ken Poyner

July 22, 2022August 14, 20220

FATE Quibble spends the day imagining what he might do, if he had the opportunity.  He scolds himself that most of the things he dreams …

Profile: Jeremy Bock
Editorial / Interview

Profile: Jeremy Bock

July 20, 2022October 30, 20230

Jeremy Bock is a West Virginia native and technologist currently expatting Bangkok with his wife and daughter. His novel, Caroline, is independently published and available …

“Layers” by Matthew Freeman
Poetry

“Layers” by Matthew Freeman

July 18, 2022September 3, 20220

Lots of human brainseventually get to wherethey saynone of this had to bethis way.Other brainsknew all alongthat everything is necessary.It’s sad, though,because so many thingsare …

“Susan” by Holly Day
Poetry

“Susan” by Holly Day

July 15, 2022July 10, 20220

I stood and watched you sleeping, hadstood there watching for nearly five minutes inthe shadow of the hallway for nearly five minutes of circustime before I …

The Metaworker Podcast | 011 Ink Runs in Our Veins: Editor Chat Part 1
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 011 Ink Runs in Our Veins: Editor Chat Part 1

July 13, 2022March 6, 20240

Matthew, Elena, Mel, and new intern Cerid talk about how they fell in love with reading, then move into a history lesson about how The Metaworker got started, and how Mel and Cerid joined the team.

“Arizona” by Zoë Blaylock
Poetry

“Arizona” by Zoë Blaylock

July 11, 2022September 3, 20220

Emerging writer Zoë Blaylock was educated in the school of hard knocks and droll encounters but credentialed by Harvard. She works in research/healthcare ethics in …

“Seeds of Racism” by Dave Luker
Poetry

“Seeds of Racism” by Dave Luker

July 8, 2022July 10, 20220

At dawn, in the distance, a kitchen radio slips  commodity prices through a screen door  into a farmyard, echoing off the metallic green  of a …

“Fireworks” by T.K. Howell
Fiction

“Fireworks” by T.K. Howell

July 4, 2022July 10, 20220

Vincent closed his laptop and stared at the wall. The afterglow of an Excel spreadsheet burned across his retina. He waited for it to fade …

“Mothering” by Jazmine Aluma
Poetry

“Mothering” by Jazmine Aluma

July 1, 2022September 9, 20240

It’s the way I pause when I come across Goethe andwhisper the name—Gir-tah.To make sure I still remember how it’s supposed to sound on the tongue. To remind myself it …

Microfiction by Jennifer Novotney
Fiction / Micro

Microfiction by Jennifer Novotney

June 27, 2022August 27, 20231

The Art Gallery I pop into the art gallery lined with textured paintings of the seaside. The artist greets me as she works wielding a …

“Swamy” by Ranjit Kulkarni
Fiction

“Swamy” by Ranjit Kulkarni

June 24, 2022July 10, 20220

I sometimes wonder if people are crazy or from some other planet. But I am not complaining. Why should I? Not at all. After all, …

“A Fair Deal” by Jon Kemsley
Fiction

“A Fair Deal” by Jon Kemsley

June 20, 2022July 29, 20241

Featuring original art by Cerid Jones The kid next door had stopped screaming and was now bashing out a single flat note on a toy …

“Shovelling” by Frank William Finney
Poetry

“Shovelling” by Frank William Finney

June 17, 2022July 10, 20220

Hole here.  Hole there.No treasure. Not even athud. Days. Nights.So much dirt. Some people askwhat I’m hoping to find. I’m tempted to show themthe tunnels …

“That Damn Selfie” by Laurel Osterkamp
Fiction

“That Damn Selfie” by Laurel Osterkamp

June 13, 2022June 12, 20221

If only Joyce hadn’t taken that damn selfie. Her and Tate, laughing at a truck stop in Mexico, drinking beer with lime, his cotton t-shirt …

“Another Life” by Helen Nancy Meneilly
Poetry

“Another Life” by Helen Nancy Meneilly

June 10, 2022December 10, 20240

Helen Nancy Meneilly is an Irish poet whose work explores issues of identity, language, and womanhood. She is currently studying for her MA in Creative …

“Alligators to Ashes” by Margaret S Mandell
Non-Fiction

“Alligators to Ashes” by Margaret S Mandell

June 6, 2022April 30, 20234

Prologue to a Memoir Based on Love Letters to my Dead Husband By Margaret S. Mandell Sunday, December 10, 2017  My Dearest Love: October 2015. …

“A Case for Violins” by Frank William Finney
Poetry

“A Case for Violins” by Frank William Finney

June 3, 2022June 23, 20220

Pulled from  the mouth of the mother  tongue. These words are all I carry now. They bend. They crack. They disappear. They hide inside the …

“Fever Dream” by Rebecca M Ross
Poetry

“Fever Dream” by Rebecca M Ross

May 30, 2022May 29, 20220

Rona piles rice from path to porch like snowdrifts sprinkled with crayon colored carrots, peas, corn– until the guardrail disappears under an ever-growing mountain  of …

Four Haikus by Constance Mello
Micro / Poetry

Four Haikus by Constance Mello

May 27, 2022May 22, 20220

When I awake I  Like to think about us two  Alone forever Sweetest saccharine  Inside your mouth I lose my Self hour after hour Diet …

“The Burial Begins Slow” by Robin Wyatt Dunn
Fiction

“The Burial Begins Slow” by Robin Wyatt Dunn

May 23, 2022May 22, 20221

The burial begins slow, carrying up the earth over the barrow for the devils, each in turn highing their breath and turning over the gravel, …

“Text Me When You Get Home” by Helen Nancy Meneilly
Poetry

“Text Me When You Get Home” by Helen Nancy Meneilly

May 20, 2022June 5, 20221

night falls like a brick.  urgent tongue of wind stuck to the back of my neck, hair wrapped around my throat. fist of keys in …

“Inaccessible” by Connie Woodring
Poetry

“Inaccessible” by Connie Woodring

May 16, 2022May 15, 20220

I was afraid of my abusive and controlling ex-husband, but I didn’t know this until 10 years after I divorced him. I wrote hidden poems, …

“Lava” by Cameron Morse
Poetry

“Lava” by Cameron Morse

May 13, 2022May 8, 20220

From my hurt back the snow-lit predawn sky is pewter, or lava, according to my best guess color chart on Pinterest. “Pewter” works, but I …

“The Arc” by Nath Oddson
Fiction

“The Arc” by Nath Oddson

May 9, 2022May 10, 20221

From Atlanta to New York City, I went tripping, delivering packages, on buses and trains, stopping—three days—in Cincinnati. There’s the arc. Greyhound issues you an …

“How to Use the Supermarket When You Are Losing Your Mind” by Rebecca M Ross
Poetry

“How to Use the Supermarket When You Are Losing Your Mind” by Rebecca M Ross

May 6, 2022May 1, 20220

When in a supermarket in a town not your own do not start screaming  “Where are the olives? Where are the fucking olives?” as you …

“Retribution” by Ash Evan Lippert
Poetry

“Retribution” by Ash Evan Lippert

May 2, 2022May 1, 20220

Ash Evan Lippert is a clay artist and emerging queer poet residing in the South Carolina upstate. Their poetry and fiction center on the exploration …

“What Lay Beneath” by Christine Yount Jones
Non-Fiction

“What Lay Beneath” by Christine Yount Jones

April 29, 2022May 1, 20220

In the sweltering summer of 1966, I have a kitten who will not cooperate under the Arizona sun that glares at me from its cloudless …

“I’ve Barely Been to College” by Kailey Tucker
Poetry

“I’ve Barely Been to College” by Kailey Tucker

April 25, 2022April 24, 20220

Autumn snapped my spine like the sudden flash of a spark, waking up the dark.  She brought rain and left me blooming, treading my fresh soles on top of …

“Dog Joy” by Judy Guilliams-Tapia
Non-Fiction

“Dog Joy” by Judy Guilliams-Tapia

April 22, 2022April 17, 20224

I am sitting on my meditation cushion, cross-legged and with eyes closed, warmed by the afternoon sun shining through the glass patio door in front …

“Close to the Fire” by Bill Kitcher
Fiction

“Close to the Fire” by Bill Kitcher

April 18, 2022March 23, 20240

Jerry backed the ’68 Ford Fairlane into a driveway, then jammed it into Drive, and stomped on the accelerator. The tires squealed and he crossed …

“Plastic Hearts” by Chella Courington
Fiction

“Plastic Hearts” by Chella Courington

April 15, 2022April 10, 20220

At fifteen Anne bought her first action figure—Wonder Woman. When she saw her on television in her blue starry shorts, legs rising out of red …

“Getting Somewhere” by Cameron Morse
Poetry

“Getting Somewhere” by Cameron Morse

April 11, 2022April 10, 20221

The more times I go back for more and find it there like a bowl of dogfood left out on the back deck by an …

“Mortuary Rites of the Blattidae” by Patrick M Hare
Fiction

“Mortuary Rites of the Blattidae” by Patrick M Hare

April 8, 2022March 23, 20240

The first cockroach appeared during a tour for prospective graduate students. Being a laser lab, we had turned the lights out and configured exhibitions of …

Nominations and Internships
Editorial

Nominations and Internships

April 6, 2022February 26, 20250

Hello folks! It’s Matthew. It’s been a while since I’ve made an announcement, I know. You may have noticed that we put Searching for The …

“A Winter Prayer for Color” by Ash Evan Lippert
Poetry

“A Winter Prayer for Color” by Ash Evan Lippert

April 4, 2022April 3, 20221

Now is the time to find color where you can—in poinsettias, pine trees, fire and wine,or strings of Christmas lights hung like prayersto glow warm …

“Hoops” by Stephen Kingsnorth
Poetry

“Hoops” by Stephen Kingsnorth

April 1, 2022March 27, 20221

In vest, short shorts, quick reflex points, our up and over, chain-link fence, we traded jokes, paraded skills, especially under watch of girls, as learnt …

“Rare” by Joanne Howard
Fiction

“Rare” by Joanne Howard

March 28, 2022March 20, 20230

Two a.m., well into her night shift at the NICU, was never a good time to receive a call on her cell. “He’s gone,” Jason’s …

“Pandemic Yoga” by Judith Beth Cohen
Fiction / Micro

“Pandemic Yoga” by Judith Beth Cohen

March 25, 2022May 16, 20250

At the Senior Center, we challenge stereotypes about old ladies. We practice yogaoutdoors for “social distance.” If it starts to drizzle, we ignore it. If …

The Metaworker Podcast | 010 Boy, Deer, Chair by Sam Asher
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 010 Boy, Deer, Chair by Sam Asher

March 23, 2022March 6, 20240

Episode Description: Matthew, Elena, Marina, and Mel talk with Sam Asher about his beautifully strange story Boy, Deer, Chair. We discuss symbolism, inherited trauma, pantsers …

“The Calling” by Christina Eagen
Poetry

“The Calling” by Christina Eagen

March 21, 2022March 20, 20220

without askingearthquakes rumbled to announce thearrival of mountains rivers roared to forewarn rocksof their ravage winds howled to demand fishermenback to shore wildfires raged to …

“Undisturbed” by Russell Willis
Poetry

“Undisturbed” by Russell Willis

March 18, 2022December 10, 20240

Ethicist and online education entrepreneur, Russell Willis, has been featured in THE POET Magazine Profile Series and his poetry has been published in over twenty-five …

“Indistinguishable” by Kenton K. Yee
Fiction

“Indistinguishable” by Kenton K. Yee

March 14, 2022March 23, 20240

When I was in eighth grade, Dad started feeling “neither here nor there.” The harder he tried to relax, the more violently he’d jitter. The …

“Eyelash Extensions” by Clive Aaron Gill
Fiction / Micro

“Eyelash Extensions” by Clive Aaron Gill

March 11, 2022March 20, 20230

Brittani, the unmarried maid of honor at her younger sister’s wedding in a small village church, spent years in graduate school. It infuriated her that …

“Meditation in an Office Tower” by Dale Cottingham
Poetry

“Meditation in an Office Tower” by Dale Cottingham

March 4, 2022March 15, 20220

Thrusting one creased pant leg in front of the other, canter-leaving ankles, knees, thighs, my leather shoes clacking slate as I amble toward and away, …

“Trenches, Rats, and Watercolors” by Geoff Watkinson
Non-Fiction

“Trenches, Rats, and Watercolors” by Geoff Watkinson

February 28, 2022February 27, 20220

My internship duties in the Fine and Decorative Arts Department of the British National Army Museum included organizing and documenting collections of photographs and rearranging …

“The Art of Remembering Your History” by Christian Ward
Poetry

“The Art of Remembering Your History” by Christian Ward

February 25, 2022February 20, 20220

I do the same ritual every morning while the clouds wrap their blankets around the sunlight: Practice Italian and Spanish. Trace my fingers along paths of cheekbones inheritedfrom …

“Loch Ness Monster in the Rain at Night” by David Henson
Poetry

“Loch Ness Monster in the Rain at Night” by David Henson

February 21, 2022March 23, 20245

A fang of lightning crashesa branch into the wind-clawed loch. Thunder drives eels to the bottom. Water flashes downa mountain rising through the skin of …

“Suburban Complaint #1988—Skunked” by Peter Dabbene
Non-Fiction

“Suburban Complaint #1988—Skunked” by Peter Dabbene

February 18, 2022March 20, 20230

It was late at night, and the dog was barking—that is, until she suddenly voiced a squeal that made it sound like she’d been stabbed …

“Scrutiny” by Tim Frank
Fiction

“Scrutiny” by Tim Frank

February 14, 2022March 15, 20220

I played with the curls of your clipped auburn hair that I kept sealed in your grandma’s silver locket, because you always said I didn’t …

“So Many Ways to Live” by Victoria Woolf Bailey
Poetry

“So Many Ways to Live” by Victoria Woolf Bailey

February 11, 2022February 13, 20220

When that moment arrives(by car, by bus, by daybreak) We live in it like a house(condo, apartment, tent down by the river) Imagining we may …

“In the Willow Garden” by Isabel O’Hara Walsh
Fiction

“In the Willow Garden” by Isabel O’Hara Walsh

February 7, 2022February 13, 20220

Down in the willow garden, where me and my true love did meet,There we sat a-courting, my love fell off to sleep – “Rose Connelly,” …

“Mussel” by Christian Ward
Poetry

“Mussel” by Christian Ward

February 4, 2022August 12, 20220

Every shell is dipped in night.  Place an ear against the ceramic to eavesdrop on fox squabbles,  crows watching rubbish bags left split open like …

“In the Kingdom of Songora” by Linda McMullen
Fiction

“In the Kingdom of Songora” by Linda McMullen

January 31, 2022January 30, 20220

James was a senior when I was a freshman at Salem North High School; I fell in love with him when I heard he’d persuaded …

“Drowned Man Lives Again” by John Grey
Poetry

“Drowned Man Lives Again” by John Grey

January 28, 2022January 23, 20220

There was a lot of crazy thrashing at first and I was cursing myself for not keeping at it with those swimming lessons, and I …

“Abracadabra” by Christina Marable
Fiction

“Abracadabra” by Christina Marable

January 24, 2022March 15, 20220

The man I loved as my grandfather was a tall, strong, broad-shouldered man who carried a fake ear in his back pocket. With his indigo …

“Interrogative Sestina” by Mark J. Mitchell
Poetry

“Interrogative Sestina” by Mark J. Mitchell

January 21, 2022January 16, 20220

Who is the bride of August? Wheredoes she send her lost birds and whatare they born to see? You? They sing. Who,precisely, are they naming? …

The Metaworker Podcast | 009 Ruins by Mary Paulson
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 009 Ruins by Mary Paulson

January 19, 2022March 6, 20240

Episode Description: In this episode, Matthew, Marina, and Elena talk with Mary Paulson about her poem, Ruins. We talk about writing poetry to express deep …

“Passing Through” by Dale Cottingham
Poetry

“Passing Through” by Dale Cottingham

January 17, 2022March 20, 20230

“There is no answer” you said “to whyin an inquiry because an inquiry is to find out why,”your voice rising over us like a storm,a …

“Out of the Picture” by Lou H. Second
Poetry

“Out of the Picture” by Lou H. Second

January 14, 2022January 9, 20220

A painter lives in my town. A talented painterno doubt. A famous painter too. His creationshave been known to save souls and to bestowone upon …

Microfiction by Megha Nayar
Fiction / Micro

Microfiction by Megha Nayar

January 10, 2022January 15, 20220

Grievances David calls as I’m retiring for the night. “You really need to stop spoiling that dog, Mom!” he begins without preamble when I pick …

“Cherry” by Stephen Kingsnorth
Poetry

“Cherry” by Stephen Kingsnorth

January 7, 2022January 2, 20221

Why do I keep the best till lastwhen eating cake;quite unlike wine.My mindful taste budsfind their pace, start marksfrom first eye-captured plate,declared by sharp seep …

“An American Experience” by Dale Cottingham
Poetry

“An American Experience” by Dale Cottingham

January 3, 2022January 2, 20220

While I waited at roadside I thought,why not try some loveliness. So I did.I saw visions in far reaches, feltthe soft touch of silence, melodiescame …

“The prison is like a Victorian asylum” by Robin Wyatt Dunn
Non-Fiction

“The prison is like a Victorian asylum” by Robin Wyatt Dunn

December 31, 2021December 26, 20211

The prison is like a Victorian asylum, and carefully arranged. The grounds are tastefully laid out, each tree with its own hillock of greeenery and …

“In My Space” by Anthony Ward
Poetry

“In My Space” by Anthony Ward

December 27, 2021December 10, 20240

I look into my eyes in order to witness nebula reciprocating light from the midst of darkness residing behind them radiating with life out of …

“In Between” by Kelly Claytor
Fiction

“In Between” by Kelly Claytor

December 24, 2021March 23, 20242

Are you dead, Maria? One Hour It seems so. Seven Days Their black clothes. Their black veils. Their white handkerchiefs, dry in their pockets. None …

“Before” by Margaret Krusinga
Poetry

“Before” by Margaret Krusinga

December 20, 2021December 10, 20240

Margaret Krusinga lives on sixty acres she and her husband manage loosely for wildlife. Diagnosed with MS in 1976, she graduated college under a cloud, …

“All my Ex-Employees are Crazy” by Joel Robert Ferguson
Poetry

“All my Ex-Employees are Crazy” by Joel Robert Ferguson

December 17, 2021December 16, 20210

The polar bears are circling us, the John CageChristmas mix, the hors d’oeuvres and those bodies that servethem. adjacent, a sealkeeps practising the same underwater …

“Maybe Next Time, Pat” by Mike McLaughlin
Fiction

“Maybe Next Time, Pat” by Mike McLaughlin

December 13, 2021December 16, 20210

The man’s souvenirs were in a box somewhere. He had kept it handy for a few years then put it away. In a desk, then …

The Metaworker Podcast | 008 Rangoli Man by Mina Rozario
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 008 Rangoli Man by Mina Rozario

November 10, 2021March 6, 20240

Matthew, Marina, Melissa, and Elena talk about Mina Rozario’s flash fiction fantasy story, Rangoli Man. We gush about saying a lot in very few words, the utopian fairy-tale tone, and the story’s fascinating dive into Indian culture.

The Metaworker Podcast | 007 Minotaurs by Lane Talbot
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 007 Minotaurs by Lane Talbot

October 6, 2021March 6, 20240

Episode Description: Matthew, Marina, and Melissa gush about Lane Talbot’s Minotaurs before asking him about how he approaches his craft, the art of writing the …

The Metaworker Podcast | 002 The Dog in You by Omar Hussain
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 002 The Dog in You by Omar Hussain

July 28, 2021February 1, 20240

Episode Description:  The Metaworker Editors (Matthew Maichen, Elena L. Perez, Marina Shugrue, Darin Milanesio, and Melissa Reynolds) talk to Omar Hussain about his wonderful piece …

The Metaworker Podcast | 001 The Dinner Party by Alexa Hailey
Podcast

The Metaworker Podcast | 001 The Dinner Party by Alexa Hailey

July 25, 2021February 1, 20240

Episode Description:  In this pilot episode, Editor-in-Chief Matthew Maichen and then-intern (now editor) Melissa Reynolds have a conversation about The Dinner Party by Alexa Hailey, …

“African Stamps” by Brecht De Poortere
Fiction

“African Stamps” by Brecht De Poortere

July 23, 2021July 18, 20211

In my first memory as a child, I sit naked in a garden somewhere in the Congo watching ants scutter in line. They lug the …

“Waiting” by Christine Webster-Hansen
Poetry

“Waiting” by Christine Webster-Hansen

July 19, 2021July 20, 20210

Eyes linger, unchanged photos thickened with dust,body-locked, estranged face gazing at the mirror,clutching at the mind, recalling memories dimly-flung,cycling again through sitcom and rerun.Bras holding …

“On Half-Inch Heroes” by Ben Umayam
Non-Fiction

“On Half-Inch Heroes” by Ben Umayam

July 16, 2021February 23, 20220

Like all Filipinos, at the age of puberty, I became obsessed with penis size. I used to be very guarded about my bare body. What …

“North Jersey” by John O’Brien
Poetry

“North Jersey” by John O’Brien

July 12, 2021July 11, 20210

Train tops tick tackingnext to half melted snow banksholding up the trafficlike everything else.Ruminating on pavementin our collective toyotawhich will always havethose wheezing tires.My face …

“Boy, Deer, Chair” by Sam Asher
Fiction

“Boy, Deer, Chair” by Sam Asher

July 9, 2021March 23, 20241

There’s a cloud in the room that the boy knows as ‘vapour’, knows it in the way he knows his emotions, knows it in the …

“The Surgeon” by Cameron Morse
Poetry

“The Surgeon” by Cameron Morse

July 5, 2021July 5, 20211

If I  check my Facebookfor likes I must want to be liked      but why no one who sends me wishes knows my birthday …

“Waking Up in California” by Jennifer Novotney
Poetry

“Waking Up in California” by Jennifer Novotney

July 2, 2021July 1, 20211

My mother is already uplong retired from work, she putters aroundher house all day, buying things and giving them awaycalling friends, taking short walkskeeping herself …

“A Future Leviathan’s Prodigious Sister” by Mina Rozario
Fiction

“A Future Leviathan’s Prodigious Sister” by Mina Rozario

June 28, 2021June 30, 20211

They called me incandescent. Queens and counts, dukes and earls alike sat enthralled when I performed, swept up in a sea of notes that would …

“Jupiter’s Raindrops” by John O’Brien
Poetry

“Jupiter’s Raindrops” by John O’Brien

June 25, 2021June 30, 20210

Jupiter’s raindrops area phenomenon thatfollows close behindmoonlight and aftersexand the sonnetof moments wherecollecting my pantsmixes deliberately withstaring and thispale shimmer ofmelancholy. This isa lesson inanger, …

“Turning Back, Going Forward” by E Martin Pederson
Poetry

“Turning Back, Going Forward” by E Martin Pederson

June 21, 2021June 30, 20210

It seems like paradise, but it’s a mirage. No more concrete walkways through the wired treelings, by the serious cyclers, no kids with frisbee dogsNo …

“Physics and the Corridor Removed” by James B. Nicola
Poetry

“Physics and the Corridor Removed” by James B. Nicola

June 18, 2021June 30, 20210

When I greet “semi-strangers,” sometimes strangers, with Hellos and How-Are-Yous you say they do not warrant, it’s because of Physics, and the empty seat that …

“The System of Considerations” by Keko Prijatelj
Poetry

“The System of Considerations” by Keko Prijatelj

June 14, 2021February 23, 20220

InsectsPerfected in that specific environmentIn thousands of nights & darksCrashing into that bulbLight impacts of ferocious attacksCongratulated admiredEach character with its own specialtyA monolith of …

“Rangoli Man” by Mina Rozario
Fiction

“Rangoli Man” by Mina Rozario

June 11, 2021March 23, 20241

Maya’s entire town had awoken one morning to find swarms of people milling outside their doors, their skins a mottled mix of colors: sunny yellows, …

“Perfusion” by Cameron Morse
Poetry

“Perfusion” by Cameron Morse

June 7, 2021June 30, 20210

Perfuse mebrain scanner Push your fluidsthrough my blood vessels my tissues Let whatever in me that is at issue be scanned interior scar star-birth tumor …

“The Body Electric in Several Takes” by Edison Jennings
Poetry

“The Body Electric in Several Takes” by Edison Jennings

June 4, 2021June 30, 20210

An ivy educated American male, bespoke suited but modest and sincere, once seated and lighted to good effect and confident of his look and manner …

“The Road to Cavalry” by Arthur L Wood
Poetry

“The Road to Cavalry” by Arthur L Wood

May 31, 2021June 30, 20210

How many days to Calvary? I asked the rich man’s child. Depends on how you’re travelling; Are you dying or exiled Or seeking sweet contentedness? …

“Dead Man’s Party” by Laura Becker
Art

“Dead Man’s Party” by Laura Becker

May 28, 2021July 29, 20240

Laura Becker is a visual art student at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Her work explores emotional and psychological contemplations through collaging and fusions of …

“The Mosquito and the Bell Jar” by Carol Motta
Poetry

“The Mosquito and the Bell Jar” by Carol Motta

May 24, 2021June 30, 20210

Our balsa-sweet Mosquito flies low and slow into the burning sun, undetectable by radarI hear only air scratching past the belly of the holdNo bomb …

“We have Always Lived in the Castle” by Tara Campbell
Poetry

“We have Always Lived in the Castle” by Tara Campbell

May 21, 2021June 30, 20210

We have always lived within these walls,this gleaming, shining castle on a hill,a beacon held aloft for one and allto marvel at, imagining the thrill …

“The Shape of the Laugh in Your Throat” by Edie Meade
Non-Fiction

“The Shape of the Laugh in Your Throat” by Edie Meade

May 14, 2021December 6, 20241

From downstairs I hear you playfully yell “panties!” with the tantrum-bound toddler who is disemboweling my underwear drawer. By the shape of the laugh in …

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