By Ewa Mazierska Of all stories by Raymond Carver, ‘So Much Water So Close To Home’ is my favourite, because, with its simple dialogue, it pictures moral conflict around people’s attitude to death. It shows a group of pragmatic men on a fishing expedition who find the naked body of a young woman, floating in … Continue reading So Much Water, So Far From Home
Nature Hour
By Connie Woodring It is 4:30pm and time for nature hour. We set our appetizers of fried calamari and shrimp cocktail next to our martinis, relax in our favorite back porch lounge chairs and wait for the show to begin. Our first act is the yellow and black butterfly. No, I don’t know its Latin … Continue reading Nature Hour
The Aspidistra and The Mock Turtle Soup
By Mike Paterson-Jones The letter that came in the post was intriguing. The envelope was pale green and was addressed in the most beautiful handwriting. Inside was an invitation to dinner with Robert de Morgan on a date two weeks hence at ‘Rogues Manor’. We had only just bought the farm in the Eastern Mountains … Continue reading The Aspidistra and The Mock Turtle Soup
Respite
By Allan Lake So warm inside the medical centre. Padded chairs, clean toilets, TV, chilled water. Nobody asks why I’m here. Receptionists don’t notice me so my invisibility is working today. As their title suggests they’re paid to receive not to sort out those with appointments and those who need a warm, dry place to … Continue reading Respite
Thesaurus and Other Poems
By Allen Guest Thesaurus A thesaurus would eventually lead me to “dappled,” the way the sunlight plays on the lawn as the trees – a poplar, two sweetgum, a red maple – sway in a light breeze on a cool morning in early May. But dappled does not really capture it. “Magically dappled?” No. This … Continue reading Thesaurus and Other Poems
Watching Cricket with My Father
By R.B. Simpson Unsurprisingly, and like all my fellow boarders, the highlight of our school year was the Christmas holidays, straight after we had written our last end-of-year exam. Six weeks of unrestricted mayhem lay before us! We would rip our ties off and would be playing a last game of touch rugby on the … Continue reading Watching Cricket with My Father
Academy Classics: O Tannenbaum
By Thomas Page The tree sort of slumped over. Ornaments scattered all over the ground. On the way down, the tree took out several pictures on the mantle. The ground was covered in broken glass, clay, and porcelain. Their dog, Sparkles, was trying to eat the remains of a surfing Santa. “Well, I’ll get some … Continue reading Academy Classics: O Tannenbaum
Fluent Influences and Other Poems
By Alex Andy Phuong Fluent Influences Being under the influence Implies intoxication, But the ones who demonstrate maturation Do have the ability To help others Profoundly, And linguistic speakers Could utilize language skills To positively influence Their own surroundings To benefit humanity In a world filled with diversity Well Wells Snow White singing at a … Continue reading Fluent Influences and Other Poems
The Women of the Sea
By Samantha Sampson There have been rumors about the Women of the Sea for as long as I can remember. Rumors that spoke of women passengers aboard sea vessels being drowned. Drowned by sailors who believed having a woman aboard their ship was bad luck. Women who only wanted to sail, to explore the vast … Continue reading The Women of the Sea
Me and the Chandler Mall
By Debra White In mid-October 2001, a sprawling shopping complex including a two-level mall known as Chandler Fashion Square, opened in the East Valley area of Phoenix to rave reviews. Critics said malls were fading away and questioned whether the new mall would succeed. I shrugged off the doom and gloom. Someone always nitpicked, didn’t … Continue reading Me and the Chandler Mall
Academy of the Heart And Mind 