Category: Fiction

  • Burden by Huina Zheng

    Burden by Huina Zheng

    Mom, when you said you wanted to live with us, I thought you meant the seven-day National Day holiday, so I agreed at once. After all, we live in different cities and don’t often see each other. But half a month passed, and you had no intention of leaving. Ling…

  • Diner Love by Philip Lisi

    Diner Love by Philip Lisi

    The top of the Heinz ketchup bottle at the Neptune Diner looked secure–I am sure it was on tight. But as I stare at the tomatoey Rorschach splotch adorning the front of your date-nightdress, I guess I must have misjudged the synchronicity between white metal top with its spiral grooves…

  • The Black Swallowtail Butterfly is Falling by William Kitcher

    The Black Swallowtail Butterfly is Falling by William Kitcher

    After dining with my friend Gustav on our scheduled Friday evening at The Radish CafΓ©, we returned to his apartment to continue our discussion over glasses of excellent brandy. As usual, the conversation turned to books; Gustav taught World Literature at the local university. My tastes weren’t as highbrow as…

  • Missions by Zach Anderson

    Missions by Zach Anderson

    The last time I saw my father was last January, a mild day for Minnesota, mid 20s. I drove out to his house, an hour from the major cities, through several small towns, each perched along a central train line through Minnesota which begins in Chicago and ends somewhere parts…

  • The Carpet Salesman by Ellis Shuman

    The Carpet Salesman by Ellis Shuman

    Business in the carpet department was slow; in fact, it was non-existent. Ziv sat behind his desk from the moment the store opened in the morning until it closed for the night, and looked out at the furniture displays with little to distract him. Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β  Occasionally, shoppers walked into Ziv’s…

  • Hunger by Daniel Schulz

    Hunger by Daniel Schulz

    I lived through six euro an hour philanthropy,wrapped in a blanket of poverty,sleeping on benches in train stationswaiting for my next ride home,my back battered by the factory lines.This is not an achievement. This is life.I will not give in. I am a fighter with a marathon heart,a love harderthan…

  • Clothes Pole by Jim Bates

    Clothes Pole by Jim Bates

    Set firmly in the groundIt had its own spot in the backyardA heavy-duty metal post with wooden arms attachedHeld together with clothesline ropeA lever controlled it going up and downA thing of mechanical beautySimple utility and grace. His mother hung sheets from it every weekWhite cotton flags waving in the…

  • Trial Run by Gabrielle Esposito

    Trial Run by Gabrielle Esposito

    It was a miracle, really, that only one of them was killed in the car crash. By the time the police finally arrived, they had each been pulled away from the wreckage once: first Dash, Lily, and then Clem. The cops found Dash and Lily shouldering Clem into place as…

  • Remembering Spring Before a Winter’s Heart Cries Nevermore: An Ode to William Wadsworth by Edward Ziegler

    Remembering Spring Before a Winter’s Heart Cries Nevermore: An Ode to William Wadsworth by Edward Ziegler

    The sun will always rise to fallLike a thousand times before,To shine on lamb white meadowsAnd caress the morning shore. And robins will always return to sing,Winging valleys aflame with greenWhen their melody breaks the April mistsAnd rosebuds can be seen. And blossoms will always burst with joy,With a hue…