Nia was still sleeping when I woke up. She was snoring loudly as I crawled my way down the rickety ladder that supported my lofted bed. I walked past her bed, her open mouth smushed ungracefully against her pillow, and made my way into the kitchen. I turned on the…
Month: February 2016
“A Man and His Beard” by Carleton Whaley (2015)
I had just survived an encounter with a grease fire in my house which had burned off parts of my hair and beard, as well as most of the paint on my door. My friend Dan was with me, and after we both cleaned spilled oil off the floor he…
On Reading More Slowly, Child’s Play, and Understanding Languages: An Interview with Susan Stewart (2015)
Susan Stewart – American poet, Princeton professor, Genius Award recipient – visited UConn as our 2015 Wallace Stevens poet on April 1st. I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions on her work and influences. Through her answers, I came to a greater understanding not only of her…
“I am first a creature of the imagination” An interview with Benjamin Grossberg (2015)
I had the opportunity to ask this year’s guest of the Writers Who Edit, Editors Who Write Series, Benjamin Grossberg. Supplement your experience of his reading with his answers, and read them alone – Ben is personable and passionate, and a truly unique voice in modern poetry. A Polish…
Happy Chinese New Year by Steph Koo
The supermarket was packed yesterday. Today, Mom is preparing food. I select music for a playlist for tonight’s guests. We are complaining about cleaning the house. No, it is not because it is Superbowl Sunday. This year, overshadowed by an American pastime I never quite understood, Chinese New Year Eve…
“Wild Eyes” by Bryan Schreber (2009)
Gold shines; illuminated under the setting sun. Artificial lights flicker, giving birth to the night. Terrifying smiles giving life to inanimate faces. Wide, wild eyes staring. Creatures dancing; spiraling towards infinity. Children ensnared by dream fulfillment. Petite fingers clutching the faces of tiny monsters.
“Too Old” by Patricia Haggard (2009)
Fifteen is too old to ride a merry-go-round, too old for this twirling coffee-painted pony to take me back to last June, to the machine that spins dizzying circles, as I stand at the head of my friend’s hospital bed, holding her swollen, peeling hand. The whoosh of the machine…
“Summer Long Gone” by Linda Drake (2009)
We were sun-baked and freckled in our halter tops and shorts. Salty from swimming the day away. Full of energy after corn-on-the cob and BLT’s. Eager to ride the merry-go-round at Sound View. Joking about who would catch the unreachable golden ring. Giddy as Grandpa bought us glazed doughnuts for…
“Merry Go Round” by MaryLynn Haggard (2009)
I play on the merry-go-round as the fire on the round ball sets. It gleams and glows pink and red. It looks like a pretty rainbow. Thunder, my horse, is attached to the glowing Merry-go-Round. Through the clouds I see lots of diamonds. They are so sparkly and clear. The…