By Jordan Shaw It’s been a few weeks since quarantine started, and we’ve all had to make some major adjustments. Many people have begun working remotely, classes have been moved online for students, and we’ve all been instructed to stay indoors in order to “flatten the curve” — or in other words, curb the rate… More Treating the Quarantine Blues: Where to Read for Free
The Jennie Hackman Memorial Prize for Fiction, Third Place (2017) I don’t take the school bus, I don’t drive, and because mom doesn’t get home from work until four most of the time, I don’t ask her for a ride. But if I take the 509 toward Whitney Avenue at 6:15, I usually get to… More Constance By Jeremiah Dennehy (2017)
From out in the outfield dirt, the crack of the bat was the only indicator a ball was rising up before dive bombing, back through the crepuscular sky. Jimmy turned and chased the echo of the sound. Go foul… Go foul… The ball, draped in a cloak of clouds, seemed to carry by a will… More Erythrophobia By Jameson Croteau (2017)
Long River Graduate Writing Award, Winner (2017) “Petra, she say there be bones,” my grandmother told me, pointing beyond me to the old castle on top of the hill. The frame of the old, Slavic structure was about as beautiful as a decaying tooth with jagged corners. A revolting brownness permeated the place. Even so,… More Crumbling Walls By Kristina Reardon (2017)
The Jennie Hackman Memorial Prize for Fiction, Second Place (2017) The girl I was seeing had this dog, a real fluffy fucker, whose name was Angus. It was her boyfriend’s dog. She was taking care of Angus because his owner was studying abroad in New Zealand for the semester. I was, finally, over my ex.… More Angus By Sten Spinella (2017)
by Kate Monica
“’I don’t like happy people,’ Andrew said.” —Tao Lin, Eeeee Eee Eeeee Are you looking for a light summer read to perfectly complement a languorous afternoon on the beach working on your tan? Then this list probably isn’t a great fit. Just kidding. Sort of. You can read these books on the beach, but only… More Summer Reading List for People Who Love to be Sad by Kate Monica
DIAGRAM is an online magazine that, as its name suggests, stands out in the unique use of obscure diagrams and schematics accompanying written works displayed in refreshing, innovative ways, including fiction, poetry, and comics. Although the magazine stands out by charging new ground, I find I cannot try to sum it up any better than… More Deciphering DIAGRAM with Ander Monson by Allison McLellan and Alexandra Cichon (2016)
By Emily Catenzaro
“It is well-known that there are many faces in the world over the finishing of which nature did not take much trouble, did not employ any fine tools such as files, gimlets, and so on, but simply hacked them out with round strokes: one chop-a nose appears; another chop-lips appear; eyes are scooped out with… More Remembering Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol By Emily Catenzaro
Review by Rebecca Nelson
**Editor’s Note: This is a special review serving as a throwback to our high school selves and their favorite books. Have you ever had an intensely realistic dream that you forget the moment you wake up, only to forever feel as though you’d had an epiphany about the meaning of life, never able to remember… More This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don’t Touch It! Review by Rebecca Nelson
by Martin Bremer (2015)
The pistol lies across the desk from me—out of reach, but pointing straight at my chest. Halogen lamps flood the interrogation room—I can almost feel my innards incinerate as the brightness forces its way through my retina—every crevice, every wrinkle of me, laid bare, out in the open—illuminated. I’m trying to sit straight and still,… More “Turner’s Comedy” by Martin Bremer (2015)