By Emily Wahl The ax fell. She was expecting it, but it still hurt. “Why me?” was her first thought. She had gotten her hopes up, only to have them dashed. She tried to put a brave face on it, but she was in shock. Combined with lack of sleep and a mild hangover, her … Continue reading Far from Perfect
Anthem
By Ryder Smith An Aromantic Love Story Told Out of Order for Dramatic Effect September I’ve never experienced a love like this before. His perfectly tamed, flowing brunette hair. His round, almost frameless golden glasses signifying that he’s clearly queer. I have no idea what his relationship history is, but that’s not important; I know. … Continue reading Anthem
Losing #30
By Lee Ann Stevens I lost my first body part soon after I turned 70, a milestone that made it hard for me to deny the advancing years. It was number 30, a six-year molar, which means it had been in my mouth since first grade, when I had just learned to read and still … Continue reading Losing #30
Puzzle
By S. G. Dorrity Emptied out, Falling into each other, stumbling and grasping for something to hold,We were lost and missing a few,Struggling to make that complete picture advertised on the box. Coming together, grouped and joined, It all started to become more recognisable, A vague shape in the clouds, comparable to the animals of … Continue reading Puzzle
so i’m supposed to be writing a poem
By Joy Jia so I’m supposed to be writing a poem. I’m supposed to be writing a poem but what I’m actually doing is putting italics on words to pad out the line count, because that’s what I’m really good at, at the end of the day. Padding things out, I mean. Scraping by. Making … Continue reading so i’m supposed to be writing a poem
The Gravestone
By Lewis Brett Smiler Dan could not believe how much clutter his Aunt Sarah had left behind. She was such a hoarder. The number of books she had collected was probably more than the local library. Dan wondered how many of these books were still in print. Would he be able to sell them for … Continue reading The Gravestone
Love Song Competition Poetry Co-Winner: “Learning to Love in Another Language” by Haley DiRenzo
Once you’ve mastered introductions,directions, small talk conversations about family and weekend plansOnce certain sentences form themselves with ease, skipping the stop between head and mouth Then how do you describe your heartbeat in another country? Dreams that weave in and outtangled in two different tongues? How do you say, I want to trace the freckles … Continue reading Love Song Competition Poetry Co-Winner: “Learning to Love in Another Language” by Haley DiRenzo
Love Song Competition Fiction Winner: “Easy Like Manicotti” by Angie Curneal Palsak
The garage door creaks open, and Ned, who probably shouldn’t be driving, eases his car in. The headlights slice through the cluttered garage, revealing a teetering stack of Amazon boxes piled on a wobbly sofa table against the wall. The headlights also illuminate the garage walls, plastered with our old posters of punk bands we … Continue reading Love Song Competition Fiction Winner: “Easy Like Manicotti” by Angie Curneal Palsak
Love Song Competition Poetry Co-Winner: “A Winter Love Poem” by James G. Piatt
“Peace, my heart, let the time for parting be sweet. Let it not be death but completeness. Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.” Rabindranath Tagore Winter sneaked up on us this past year, warning us that our time was near. And, as a clock struck the late hour of the night, we … Continue reading Love Song Competition Poetry Co-Winner: “A Winter Love Poem” by James G. Piatt
With All Due Respect to Raspberry Jam
By Enid Cokinos Lady Cavendish’s untimely passing had the manor house staff scurrying about, dispatching possessions hither and yon, as the family’s solicitor, Mr. Fielding, pinstriped and bespectacled, directed from his perch beside the library fireplace between sips of Earl Grey. “Ah, yes, crate the heirloom china for Beatrix Von Ernstrom in Switzerland.” “Deliver Lord … Continue reading With All Due Respect to Raspberry Jam
Academy of the Heart And Mind 