academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, non-fiction

November “The Thursdays” Contest: Silver Winner: “The Long November” by Ken Gosse

Dontcha just hate when Thanksgiving is latebecause Friday the First means the calendar’s cursedbut you’re so hurly-burly you start a week earlythen sit at the table and wait, wait, wait, wait! Ken Gosse usually writes short, rhymed verse using whimsy and humor with traditional meters. First published in First Literary Review–East in November 2016, his … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Silver Winner: “The Long November” by Ken Gosse

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Essays, non-fiction

November “The Thursdays” Contest: Bronze Winner: “Pets” by Oleg Daugovish

The camp fire dies down, and so does the conversation. The darkness blacks out the imperfections of the dusty Californian chaparral. Under the Big Tree, four slumped silhouettes sit, dissolving the week’s worries with cold brews. “Woof, woof, woof!” cry chops the stillness, urgency increasing with every bark.  “Where’s that dog’s owner?” Maura’s logic becomes … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Bronze Winner: “Pets” by Oleg Daugovish

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

13 Days of Halloween: All Hallows’ Eve by Nina Dinan

When russet leaves begin to fall,When light retreats and west winds blow,When shaken coals begin to glowAnd play with shadows on the wall,Sliced apples bubble in a pot,The wind relays the scent of smoke,The sticks and bellows blow and poke,And hearth flames catch a dimming spot. They say a veil of gossamerHangs just beyond the … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: All Hallows’ Eve by Nina Dinan

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

13 Days of Halloween: Hallows’ Eve by Elanur Williams

Within, a haunted life - shadows and hidden rooms loom against the full moon'ssilver glow, inviting in winged spirits of the night. Elanur Williams is an educator based in New York City, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Her work has previously been published in Eunoia Review, 3Elements, The Ekphrastic Review, Feminism and Religion, … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Hallows’ Eve by Elanur Williams

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

13 Days of Halloween: His Coffin’s Last Tale by Ken Gosse

On his next and last voyage he would pay the full fare.As a passenger now, he found he didn’t careto chase whales or kowtow to a ship tyrant’s ordersor bunk with the crew down below in close quarters,nor climb up the mast like he’d done far too often—the ship far below looking like a small … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: His Coffin’s Last Tale by Ken Gosse

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction

13 Days of Halloween: Residents Unearthed by Bernardo Villela

I In the cold ground necrotic skin quavers,those lain in gravebeds sleep uneasylifespans end when light is snuffed outbut humanity’s undying fire can reignite the living dead.The afterlife’s cycles occur in light-time.The dead’s centennial reawakening is a needed respite for the long gone and reluctantly departedin local mausoleums and those wind-scattered.Resurfacing, a drowned man waltzes;reintegrating, … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Residents Unearthed by Bernardo Villela

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

13 Days of Halloween: November 1st 6:03 am by Laura Dennis

The night beforedancing with the darkdry ice smokeand heartbeat musicflashing lightsa haze of alcoholand drugsThe morning aftera car barely stopsat the cornerhis vampire make upsmudged and sadstruggling to get homebefore dawnsafe for another year Laura Dennis is inspired by people, moments and sunrises.  She has been published in various anthologies and online. 

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

13 Days of Halloween: The Language Between by Carrie Farrar

I. Ursula, Who Heard Me DifferentlyYou didn’t flinch when I spoke in patternfingers drumming the table’s edge,the air shimmering between syllables.You heard the meaning inside the rhythm,not the mess of words around it.Your gaze was a small cathedralwhere my noise found room to breathe.Even silence widened for us,its wings brushing the walls of your patience.You … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: The Language Between by Carrie Farrar

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, non-fiction

13 Days of Halloween: Mannequins in the Hobbit Barn by S.G. Benson

When I purchased the old Shepard Place—one hundred sixty acres in northern Nebraska—I felt as if I’d stepped back in time. In 1925, Old Man Shepard ordered a house kit from the Sears & Roebuck catalog. It came by rail, arriving at the depot in town, about twenty-five miles away. Mr. Shepard and his brother … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Mannequins in the Hobbit Barn by S.G. Benson