Bradley had never wanted to get mixed in with that crowd. But it seemed beyond his control. His best friend, Alex, had started hanging out with them, so Bradley went along with it. It wasn’t that bad at first. Drinking or smoking; it didn’t hurt anybody. But then the crimes…
Category: Online Work
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“Vive la Révolution” by Timothy Stobierski (2009)
II was born under the lion as he commingled with the snake, but conceived when the dragon pillaged the great scales of their gold. “Who am I?” were my first words; they passed by unanswered. III heard the words of God as a child, but He has grown silent. The…
“Penance” by Lillian R. Handleman (2009)
The paunching of Dan’s belly that once sported lean muscle exposed a doughy adipose mass protruding from just above his belt. One could say his belly was a monument to all the fallen heroes of love gone wrong—those weary soldiers adrift in marital limbo who seek comfort in swigs of…
“Most Friends Ever” by Linda Courtland (2009)
“We’ve identified you as the person with the fewest friends on Facebook,” the email said. “But don’t worry, help is on the way.” It was high school all over again, and I was being cyber-bullied by a social networking site for not being one of the cool kids. I typed…
“Disappearing Act” by Juliana Flynn (2009)
The cat was gone. He lied and said he didn’t care because he held a deep conviction that his words could take shape into honest sentiments, if only he gave them the slightest push. This was most simply not the case. He had locked the thing in the bathroom (to…
What I’ve Learned from Handling Criticism (and Nice Words on How Some Famous People Handle it Too) By Emily Catenzaro
We’ve heard it all before: with writing comes criticism. But until you experience those first rejection letters (or a 2,000 word letter from a reader detailing nearly everything wrong with your story), it’s hard to predict exactly how you’re going to handle criticism. Actually, it’s hard for anyone to know…
Looking Into the Mystique of Betty Friedan by Allison McLellan
“I never set out to write a book to change women’s lives, to change history. It’s like, ‘Who, me?’ Yes, me. I did it. And I’m not that different from other women.… Maybe my power and glory was that I could speak my truth as a woman and it was…
Remembering James Joyce by Carleton Whaley
“Poetry, even when apparently most fantastic, is always a revolt against artifice, a revolt, in a sense, against actuality.” — James Joyce, “James Clarence Mangan,” A lecture on the poet given at the Literary and Historical Society of the University of Dublin. A man of complexities and contradictions, James Joyce…
The Best American Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Wonderbomb or Bust? Review by Caitlyn Durfee
“Wonder is a blasting cap. It is an emotion that goes off with a bang, shattering settled beliefs, rattling the architecture of the mind, and clearing space for new ideas, new possibilities. Wonder is often thought of as a peaceful emotion, a sense of resounding inner quiet. Of course we…
Remembering Virginia Woolf by Asiya Haouchine
“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” — Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own English writer and modernist pioneer, Virginia Woolf was born one-hundred and thirty four years ago today….