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FICTION
Clown Car
by Andrea Cavedo Manny had been trying to compose a text for the last hour. u know i was kiddin around… Delete delete delete. i been thinkin bout yesterday… Garbage, delete. Gia wouldn’t talk to him the whole ride home…
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Leave Space for Cake
by Lilian D. Vercauteren Klay’s head is in space. So is the rest of his body, technically, since he’s standing on the surface of mining asteroid SB92X. But it’s his head that feels particularly weightless because she is late. Normally,…
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The Witch of Hawthorn Hill
by Emily Gennis The shadows had just begun to creep out from beneath the brambles of Hawthorn Hill when Hortense heard a pair of feet hurrying toward her ramshackle cottage. She knew exactly who it was and what they wanted.…
Keep readingPOETRY
Local Waterways
We are marshes pooled under the shadow of mountains. / They have their heights, accentuated by pines, / meanwhile, we sink in ditches around the…
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Ode to Fallen Words
Let us praise discarded words / deemed unfit for lofty verse. / Give us nostril for cheek or lip, / drop the knife for the holy…
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Mitigation
It’s my new thing: spotting someone / trying on shoes, a jacket, maybe a hat. / Like this woman here in Goodwill, / slipping on…
Keep readingFIVE-STAR REVIEWS
Five Stars: My Favorite Rough Diamond
by H. A. Rhoades If I donate this book to a thrift store, it will be in the trash before the rest of the donation box is unpacked. Dog ears, mold spots, and water damage. The pages are tattooed with…
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Five Stars: Solo Hiking
by Sami Dabbagh He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that there was ice delicately clinging to the top of his tent. It doesn’t make sense to him, but the air tastes different in such circumstances; the sleeping…
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Five Stars: Handwritten Letters
by Barbara Ridley I’ve decided to get rid of more “stuff.” I haven’t exactly gone all Marie Kondo; one glance at my overflowing bookshelves would tell you that. I’m more in Swedish Death Cleaning mode. No, I don’t have a…
Keep readingLOVE LETTERS
Three Tiny Wrinkles
Shelby Cohen I said I love you. It wasn’t a confession, nor a vow. Those words are acceptance, a check clearing. All the boxes ticked. A little nod: I see your bruises and your obsessions. What you curl around. The…
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G.O.A.T. : Celine Dion
Jeanne Blum Lesinski Long odds, stiff-person syndrome lottery winner, Celine spasmed on the examination table, rescued by her medical guardian angels with drugs, massage, and reassurances. How could the Greatest Of All Time diva have such tragic luck? To lose…
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Grace and Legacy: A Love Letter to Lee Frances Heller
Jamez Terry 1990. 8 years old, I declare softball a dumb sport for girls. I will only play baseball. The Little League officials in my southern town look at the girl they think I am and flatly disagree. Not for…
Keep readingCULTURE, CRAFT & CRITISM
We Need More Hope-Filled Media
by Kristen Csuti Whenever anyone asks me what kinds of movies and shows I like, I tend to just give the vague umbrella answer of “fun and feel-good,” occasionally followed up with, “if I wanted to be depressed, I’d just…
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What Happened to Competence Porn?
by Kristen Csuti In 2009, Leverage writer John Rogers wrote in a blog post about how viewers enjoyed “watching competent people banter and plan,” something his team had come to refer to as “competence porn.” This phenomenon, now named, has…
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Should You Write a Manic Pixie Dream Girl?
by Kristen Csuti You’re reading this on the internet, so you’ve probably heard of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. You probably have a decent idea of what she is and where she exists in the world of fiction. There’s like…
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The Lit Nerds 