It began, as these things often do, with a name—Steve—which struck me, even then, as appallingly flat. A name like an unbuttered toast, slightly burnt.… more
Tag Archives: Prison
THE LONER’S HOLE
CREATIVE NONFICTION by Kent JacobsonA maverick poet and old friend asked if I’d like to replace him teaching prison inmates. Why me? I wondered, and didn’t ask. Men I know don’t often speak directly, even to friends. If pressed, my friend might not have said. Anyway, I can’t ask. He died not long after from a heart attack.… more
THE HAT BOX
FICTION by Samuel J AdamsThe warden stood at the barbed guardrails of the south tower, looked upon the yard, and removed his cap. The December air chilled his nose, pinched his cheeks, and iced along his thinning scalp. And yet even as he shivered, he knew it was insufficient: this cold was not enough to make the prisoners wear the hats.… more
dwindle, peak, and pine
FICTION by Timston Johnston—with thanks to the Columbus Zoo We find Hay-Zeus on what we think is a Sunday. He is in Cruciform. He is missing below the chest, his neck gnawed away. His fists clench fur. Shame, another says. He is our cook and we have not eaten since what we think was Friday. Not fish… more
James, Transcendent, Everyone Else, Stuck in the Mud
FICTION by Jimmy PetardWhen Mary finds him, she’s going to punish him. He will inadvertently disarm her probably, she knows, imagining a headfirst hug at the bottom of the slide, a tangled pile, wheezing and wild with laughter. The smiling cherub laughs, anger wilts.… more
