1 Work the cold meat from the last bone. Still numb from the fight, I eat Gil’s leftovers. He ordered his usual two dozen of Blazin’ Hot. Bastard. He knows habanero burns my gums. Lick the buffalo sauce off…
Here’s a quick look at some of the great fiction publishing in March—so many short story collections! Happy pub day to one and all. Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie From Booklist (starred review): “Fast moving and with a strong sense of Queenie’s…
There is in this dirty night a slam and a shout and there is Matthew yelling Pa Pa they got Owen Pa wake up Pa they got Owen! And before any of this there is Shin out of his…
By Candace Walsh • As thousands of tweets and several articles attest, women have grown weary of the way many male writers describe female characters: zooming in on their body parts with a Porky’s-gaze, to the exclusion of describing…
The topic is prehistoric humans and their place in the food chain. It says so right in the substitute lesson plan. Highlighted in yellow and underlined. Well shoot, I think. I’d hoped I’d be teaching something I already knew…
It’s the summer before third grade, and I’m not allowed to play in the front yard anymore. Mamma says it’s because of the heat, but I know it’s about the police cars that circle our house like sharks. The…
Here’s a quick look at some of the great fiction publishing in February. Happy pub day to one and all! Ayesha Harruna Attah, The Hundred Wells of Salaga “A powerful and moving novel that intricately explores the Salaga slave market…
The professor’s kid was cute. Like, normal cute. Pigtails and a fat face. She looked kind of dirty even though I don’t think she was. She had that kind of skin. “Babysitter problems,” the professor had said at the…
Here’s a roundup of CRAFT short and flash fiction pieces that each exemplify a certain element. Don’t forget the Author’s Note that accompanies each piece, in which the writer considers an aspect of craft in their story. Character Check out…
By Candace Walsh • I almost didn’t read Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, one of the most influential, relevant, and exquisite novels I’ve ever encountered. Why? I felt like it would be dated. I thought that I should…
