If nothing else, you must respect the classical hustle; the Roman legionaries signed twenty-five-year contracts, sacrificed their youth and delayed marriage to be muscle. After being discharged they received a parcel of land, found wives, and retired. This is how men (and, fuck it!, some women) should be: youth isn’t a dalliance—it’s meant for raw, myopic exertion.… more
Tag Archives: Friendship
The Seasons of Gilly Black
FICTION by Katy GoforthMole heard his mama talk about Gilly and how he hadn’t been the same since coming back from the war. Looked like she wanted to spit talking about their neighbor. No compassion. And his mama would never spit. … more
Arm-Cami
FICTION by Lukas TallentI worried she had fallen asleep, then wondered why exactly our relationship had never been sexual, why I had started to think of everyone in these terms.… more
Mermaid and Seaworm
FICTION by Michael PlaceShe said her hair was red as blood, and he said it already was the color of a penny and he liked to picture it the way it was.… more
No Harm at All
FICTION by Joey Poole“The scar shifted with each movement, crawling like a snake across his torso, emerging from his shorts just to the right of his belly button, cutting across his chest and ending where his nipple would have been had it not been gouged away by the shrapnel.” … more
We’re The Ones
FICTION by Al KratzTrue grit ain’t as easy as it looks, he said. You’ve got to get dirty if you want to live. … more
Bachelor Party
FICTION by Nicholas A. WhiteWe first saw the homeless man while stopped at an intersection on the way to Waffle House. Chet and Tadd—two of McCoy’s fraternity brothers—sat in the bed of the truck, already buzzed and anxious to officially start the bachelor weekend festivities. “Chet’s got a history with this sort of thing,” McCoy said. “With what?” I… more
Two Stories
FICTION by Steve ChangIt all comes out, no matter how many years later. He hated that photo, but it was telling the truth.… more
Peace Dove Comes Round
FICTION by Jessica Bonder“See every small town has its own Peace Dove and a man like John who winds up his friend.”… more
Piss-ants
FICTION by Jeremy T. WilsonSkip knocked on the cabin door. Didn’t get an answer. Walked right in. The place was as he remembered it. Stuffed with stuffed animals. Birds and foxes on fake wood perches. Deer heads hovering over the wood-burning stove. Largemouth bass in exaggerated poses of high drama. A stink hung in the air like a chandelier.… more
