By: Josephine Greenland Are they really going to swim here? Ellen thought as the Syrians strode into Torne River. She assumed they were Syrians by their black hair and beards, and the rapid Arabic they were speaking. They had to be…
By: Mark A. Murphy Critique of Critical Criticism Should we turn a blind eye to those acolytes of critical criticism, or note with all due attention, the ‘inability to resolve the tension between the lyrical and erotic’ in a given…
By A.R. Hansen I had to lie at first and tell the producers I was about to turn 12 because they said 11 was too young to go on a national talk show with such a messed-up family. Except they…
By: Wendy Lee Klenetsky Even if all they had been after was great ratings during “sweeps week” on television, the “JERRY MARKS SHOW” couldn’t possibly have concocted such a program. After all, no one in their right mind would…
By: Lucille Bellucci Once upon a time…. My wanderings over a distant time begin with that phrase, a cipher that unlocks a landscape biding in the storehouse behind my eyes. It is almost always the same picture that unreels over what…
By: Hillard Morley The face grew red and bulging and awful. Jeremy watched the hands instead, lifted as though taking an oath, the palms exposed, signalling an explosion. He distanced himself, imagined the scene in a cartoon panel, spikes of red…
By: Alan Swyer Four days after their mother’s funeral, Richie Kalt and his sister Bonnie strong-armed their father into joining them for dinner at his favorite neighborhood Italian place. There were a few awkward attempts at chit-chat while the three of…
By: M.A. Lang Brainard Freeson slowly and methodically put away his tools. He glanced over at the small girl who sat on her bed, quietly sobbing. He snapped the case shut and left the room. The young girl’s mother sat…
By: Doug Van Hooser Stray Bullet In Chicago stray is not a dog with sad eyes It’s not a bar ribbed cat meowing at your door It’s a piece of harm that tears flesh and splatters lives A Chicago omelet of…
By: Gary Van Haas I couldn’t believe they said it. They were actually talking about suicide and the best way to do it as though it was a casual everyday matter. They even went into detail of how to go about…