First-generation Columbians, meaning whomever you came over with you were stuck with. Which is why his mom didn’t leave the husband who beat her, still kept in contact with the uncle who molested her oldest son. People will use the word family to tie you down, to tie you to them. Forever if they can. So, Fernando left as soon as he turned 18 and never looked back.… more
Tag Archives: Alcoholism
Brian Comes Alive
CREATIVE NONFICTION by LC GutierrezWe’ve all chuckled at the theatrics of the stiff-legged subhumans in a zombie film. Brian was fried in a way that no Hollywood pathos I know of has successfully evoked.… more
Merry Xmas, OK?
FICTION by Sheldon BirnieThis year Chappy resolved to show his daughter what Christmas was all about. They’d do it together, like a real goddamn family.… more
Two Stories
FICTION by Justin HerrmannWe’re at it again. On our weekly phone call. Me at the bottom of the world. Her, near the top.… more
Losing Will
FICTION by William BurtchThe instant coffee went down like fracking fluid. Sour. Smelled like miners’ socks. Clam chowder, microwaved, and turkey jerky of unknown vintages had been scrounged. Untouched by either of them.
So the duo departed the house. Confronted the dreary morning in silence to try to find the car…
… more
Somewhere Without Trees
FICTION by Jordan FennellNo one broke Jesus’ legs, but someone made Him bleed. … more
Landmine
CREATIVE NONFICTION by Ray Shea“Wife-beating has a unique and unforgettable sound, especially when it wakes you up in the middle of the night…”… more
The Balboa AA Club
FICTION by Dan Corfield“It seems that every time I drink I go to jail. You must tell me how to fix this,” he said… more
A Life on the Road
GENRE NON-BINARY by Dave Fitzpatrick“On my right is a steep embankment, on my left an open lane. Ahead of me is the grill of a Ford pickup coming head-on… more
Everything Far Away Up Close
FICTION by Nick Bertelson“Grandpa Bub grew up in a generation without alcoholics. There were plenty of winos, boozers, lushes and drunks, but that was back when alcohol had personality; it was your drinking that defined you… more
