New York - 2008 I am a liar, and I don’t know how to stop. My friend, José, tells me I need to. He tells me that people need to see our faces. He says that people like us are here at this university, in this English Ph.D. program, because our classmates, our professors and … Continue reading Baby Steps by Kim Vose, 2020 Non-Fiction Winter Contest Winner
Photo by W W at Pexels Born and raised in India, Manisha Sharma is a Jack Grapes Poetry Award, American Short(er) Fiction Contest semifinalist. Her work addresses feminist/ social issues across genres and disciplines. New poetry is forthcoming in Choice Words Anthology. The Fourth River, The Arkansan Review, Puerto Del Sol, Saturday Poetry Series, TAB, … Continue reading “Electronic Inquiry for a New Media Exhibit @ the Indian Embassy in Washington DC” by Manisha Sharma, 2020 Poetry Winter Contest Winner
Hank died three years ago today, which feels strange to write, given the argument we had last week. It started as a simple chat but ended sour. That's just the way it goes when you talk to Hank, especially since the thing with the roof. Three whole years—it just doesn't seem true. I'd wanted to … Continue reading “Bird Versus Glass” by Nicholas Otte, 2020 Fiction Winter Contest Winner
As a prose writer, I'm always looking for ways to gain valuable insight from other genres, and Mark Doty's The Art of Description offered helpful cross-training for creating more powerful, descriptive prose. The book is summed up thusly: “Description is an art to the degree that it gives us not just the world but the … Continue reading Poetic Prose: The Art and Craft of Description
*This story has content that some might find difficultor disturbing.* 10:30 a.m. Kelly bats her eyes at little Maeve as she pulls the empty bottle out of her daughter’s mouth. “We were hungry, sweet baby, weren’t we?” Maeve smacks her lips and Kelly dabs spots of milk around her mouth. “Time for burpies.” Kelly hoists … Continue reading “Inside, Crying” by Gail Marlene Schwartz, 2019 Fiction Fall Contest Winner
The men stopped their truckand sprung from it when they saw mewalking near the underpass.They crossed the roadstraight towards me. My ears thuddedfrom the argument that set meout there, and it was blackout by then. I just wanted to go home. The men from the truck looked toughbut I didn't want to run.They walked behind … Continue reading “Pool of Light” by Susan Alkaitis, 2019 Poetry Fall Contest Winner
I sit on the couch reading for a long time, unwilling to move, feeling satisfied as I read a story about a Midwestern man who used his Domino’s app to order pizza for hungry families on a Wednesday night. I want to call her. I worshipped our ongoing debates about technology’s relationship to human kindness; … Continue reading “Soulstrings” by Irina Popescu, 2019 Non-Fiction Fall Contest Winner
