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”
High School Contest First Place Winner Fiction: “The Man”
by Alexander Choi The dilapidated road had a myriad of cracks in its asphalt as I cruised along the pavement. The blazing sun illuminated the land with rays penetrating through my windshield, hindering my vision of the road. I could faintly hear the wind whispering in my ear when I took a glimpse of the … Continue reading High School Contest First Place Winner Fiction: “The Man”
Love At First Sight
By Dianne Moritz My mother has three hard and fast words of warning about men and dating: “Never spend the first date at a movie. Why waste two hours sitting in a dark theater, when you could be getting to know each other? Secondly, don’t be timid about ordering exactly what you want in a … Continue reading Love At First Sight
Wonder
By Kelli J Gavin I wonder if he knows. I wonder every single day. I watch him as he brushes his teeth and shaves. I watch him as he removes his wedding ring and puts lotion on his hands. I watch him as he gathers his dress shirt and tie and heads downstairs each morning … Continue reading Wonder
Death Imitating Art
By P.A. O'Neil “I never meant to hurt anyone.” The man looked down and shook his head, damp from the rain, his arms wrapped around his body as if to fend off a chill. “You have to believe me, officer.” The diminutive woman in the police raincoat nodded as she took his statement. “Yes, sir; … Continue reading Death Imitating Art
“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”
By Amani Utembu I didn't believe in legends. Never thought I'd ever believe in any of the old stories either until a couple of days ago after we moved. There's this park, some three or four kilometers away from home that me and my friends go to hang out on weekends, or just go to … Continue reading
Christmas Contest: Honorable Mentions
As usual with our contests we wanted to give a shoutout to one poem and one story that we thought really stood out among the submissions that we received. Good job to "The Hymn Of The Bethlehem Star" by Luisa Kay Reyes and "Small Town Christmas Wearing Headphones" by Kelli J Gavin. The Hymn Of … Continue reading Christmas Contest: Honorable Mentions
Christmas Contest: 3rd Place Fiction
"Christmas Presence" By Andrew Paul Grell “It’s time, Nick. Are you up for it?” Josh assessed the old man’s visage. It wasn’t like the old days. Larger territory. Vast increase in audience. Security. Changes in entrance and exit protocols. Not that any of that mattered; it was Nick or nobody. “It’s been a while since … Continue reading Christmas Contest: 3rd Place Fiction
Christmas Contest: Fiction 2nd Place
"Christmas Yet to Come" By Len Saculla Peter 181 BM pressed his button nose hard against the polyglass window and gazed excitedly at the winter sky above the capital city. His maternal grandfather, Aaron 797 BM, gently squeezed the boy’s shoulder, grinned like he was still six years old, and asked, ‘Can you see Santa … Continue reading Christmas Contest: Fiction 2nd Place
Academy of the Heart And Mind 