When I was learning the multiplication tables one day, Ms. Brower came in to tell me they were sending my mother upstate. I thought that meant into the air, someplace in the clouds. As if what must happen to those in such mental trouble cannot be rendered here on the ground. Their state must be taken up.… more
Tag Archives: Growing up
Man of Ten Years
FICTION by Gary FinneganI turned ten the weekend we left Dad in a mad rush, before Christmas, before I’d ever robbed a house. Now I share a bed in the grey-walled box room where Mam slept when she was my age. I talk to meself in the mirror sometimes now. Always tellin’ meself I’ll forever respect ten-year-olds. Most people grow up and forget important things like talkin’ to ten-year-olds and looking them in the eye.… more
The Miniature Man
FICTION by Tyler DempseyOnce a year, around the holidays, it becomes too much. I crawl in my tweet, cradle my miniature man like my mom used to me. I miss you, I’ll say.… more
Growing Pains
FICTION by Chelsea StickleI stroke the port wine stain on his temple. I remember the day our parents brought him bundled home during a historic cold snap. He was shriveled and small like the sundried tomatoes Mom snuck into all our food. I promised to look after him.… more
Loose Stitch, 1991
FICTION by Jason DeYoungIt was a clear vision, a desire to be changed by something. … more
Boxelder Bugs
CREATIVE NONFICTION by Jen IppensenBoxelder bugs swarmed the cinder block wall at our back while we waited for our ride. A few fluttered, struggling to stay aloft in the thick air, their orange-red wing veins flashing. I cupped my hands, gently caught one. … more
Daddy Said I Had To
FICTION by Caralyn DavisThis was different than squirrels—revenge not supper.… more
Cigarettes After Sexism: The Shy-Boy Misogyny of Indie
CREATIVE NONFICTION by John ShakespearI spent most of high school wearing hoodies, reading guys like Salinger, and thinking about a girl called Laura, whose name is not really Laura.… more
To Kill a Watchman
CREATIVE NONFICTION by Alyssa StriplinDuring my last semester of graduate school, when MFA applications were pending, I was granted a sign from the literary gods. It came in the form of a poorly-worded tweet that was linked, forwarded, and tagged to me at least five times, all from different people: “RECENTLY DISCOVERED NOVEL FROM HARPER LEE, AUTHOR OF TO… more
Homer Postcard & Victim of a Crime
FICTION by Kurt Mullen“You should see this piece of land I have,” he said. “Most days, it’s just me and the dog out there, and it’s beautiful.” It was the last thing I heard him say before he said goodbye. He was building a house. When he got back from six weeks in Portland it would be fall approaching winter, and even if he paid somebody to keep his worksite clear of snow, what kind of shape would he be in, working in the cold? … more
