By Michael Guendelsberger Most of us who worked at Higgins Hollow that summer of 1996 had done so for at least two or more seasons. A girl I knew from high school said she could get me a better paying job at a produce store where she worked, but changing felt too complicated and … Continue reading The Marvelous Love Affair of Higgins Hollow (Summer, 1996)
Old Nomads
By Cristina Bresser de Campos Long ago, I visited Chapada dos Veadeiros, an esoteric wild site at central Brazil. One day, I went to a dining in Alto Paraíso de Goiás, a small village in this natural park. The waiter was a tall bald hippie in his fifties. Although he had an athletic body, his skin … Continue reading Old Nomads
Honorable Mention Piece from the Short Fiction Contest: Death Comes to Aishbagh by Divyanka Sharma
I was getting ready for work when mom told me of grandma’s death. Ambulances were rushing to Beth Israel Medical Center, urgently piercing the morning air with their siren call for space. Ubers and Lyfts and cabs were angrily honking in the 9am rush hour; East Village in New York was ablaze with indifferent and … Continue reading Honorable Mention Piece from the Short Fiction Contest: Death Comes to Aishbagh by Divyanka Sharma
Third Place Short Fiction Contest: Animal Plots and Schemes by Linda Imbler
Jasper Beorn, my Sphynx cat, is an ancient soul. He is also extremely intelligent. He lives with me in a small cottage house along with his brother, the rescue dog Maurice, who is, through no fault of his own, a few pickles short of a hamburger. Maurice is not the reason J comes across as … Continue reading Third Place Short Fiction Contest: Animal Plots and Schemes by Linda Imbler
Second Place Short Fiction Contest: The Long Lost Maiden Of Light by Luisa Reyes
Once upon a time, there was a lovely young maiden who was fair of skin, dark of hair, startlingly intelligent, and warm of heart. She dwelt in a castle, but rarely did she ever behold the finery of the grand ballrooms nor the gilded halls of the music rooms. For her status was that of … Continue reading Second Place Short Fiction Contest: The Long Lost Maiden Of Light by Luisa Reyes
First Place Short Fiction Contest: Lost and Found by Colleen M. Tice
Part I The archeology class has been on the dig site for two months. They had been studying abroad on the outskirts of the Island Aswan. The group’s campground is on the edge of the east banks of the Nile River. Professor Alexander Bakas received permission to dig on the site for three months. His … Continue reading First Place Short Fiction Contest: Lost and Found by Colleen M. Tice
Loon Call at Owl-light
By Carrie Connel-Gripp He was glad of his freedom, but the events of the past year left him brooding. Contemplating what he should do and where he should go only brought a swamping uncertainty. He could drown here just as well as somewhere else. There was nowhere he called home. He had gravitated to the … Continue reading Loon Call at Owl-light
High School Contest Second Place Winner Fiction: “Sardines”
by Aliki Dimitoglou “Dear AJ, I wish I could tell you this ends well for you.” I paused, the rain falling on the paper I was reading off of, slightly smudging the words. “You were definitely not perfect. You didn’t get straight A’s in high school, you didn’t have a huge group of … Continue reading High School Contest Second Place Winner Fiction: “Sardines”
“Nanna’s Sunday Lunch”
By Karen Trappett Every Sunday of my youth was spent in Nanna’s old Queenslander at Sandgate for the ubiquitous Sunday lunch. I didn’t even know there was a beach near her house until much later, which was a shame, I could have used the escape; but as a single digit kid, I had no … Continue reading “Nanna’s Sunday Lunch”
“The Pass”
By Karen Trappett Byron kept his kitchen fastidiously clean; his pride and joy, and his livelihood. The stainless-steel countertops gleamed from constant rubbing and buffering between sittings and the copper-bottomed pots shimmered under the bright halogen downlights - placed with regimented precision above the work surface. Taking off his chef’s hat and placing it … Continue reading “The Pass”
Academy of the Heart And Mind 