Tag Archives: Suicide

Thoughts of Death in the Big Country Morning

Thoughts of Death in the Big Country Morning

FICTION by

He would stand on the porch and curse the trains in the distance and then move to the meadow and sit still, so to watch the deer moving slowly through the long grass, and then he would go to the edge of the pond at night and look at the beautiful moonlight mixing like oil into the pond water and he would think about putting a bullet straight through his brain and sinking to the moss at the bottom of the water.more

Sheldon Lee Compton

Sheldon Lee Compton

BULL Interview by

I wanted to write about the strength of my people, Eastern Kentuckians. We’ve been, and will continue to be called, dumb, backward, incestuous, lazy, drunkards and drug addicts, and on it goes forever. Pisses me off at a fire-and-brimstone level. And I took that pissed-offedness and Breece’s abilities as a writer and busted ass to show our heart and loyalty and ability to survive hardship and a hundred other positive traits. I’m still trying to bust ass with that as much as I can.more

Acoustics of Loss

Acoustics of Loss

CREATIVE NONFICTION by

No whisper goes unheard. Not the apologetic late arrival nor the chattering of children. We fidget in creaks. We remove and replace hymnals in scrapes and thunks. We stumble down pews with muttered condolences.more

Did You Never See Dallas

Did You Never See Dallas

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Two tales about trying to correct the past.more

A Vulture

A Vulture

CREATIVE NONFICTION by

Kevin Carter committed suicide four months after winning the Pulitzer. more

Unbearable Burden of Being

Unbearable Burden of Being

CREATIVE NONFICTION by

I am bad at killing myself. When you are unsuccessful at suicide some people say you really just want attention or that it’s a cry for help. But really, sometimes you just suck at it.more

In the Event of My Death (Nancy, Do Not Read)

In the Event of My Death (Nancy, Do Not Read)

FICTION by

If Nancy and I aren’t still together when I die, I’d like whatever girl I’m with to wear a black cocktail dress and one of those sexy hats Jackie Kennedy wore. Make sure Nancy gets invited.more

He Do Everything Big

He Do Everything Big

FICTION by

They pinch and prod him. Children ask to feel his muscles. Women run their hands on his chest, feeling the shape and firmness—something none of them have ever felt in their own men. They giggle like high school girls. Beau smiles and nods and hugs and says “yes sir” more times than Anna Carol can count.more

Gordo on the 4th of July

Gordo on the 4th of July

FICTION by

An idea I’ve been mulling all night catches and burns through my stomach.more

HARVEST

HARVEST

FICTION by

But Myers always wanted to quit the mine that he worked full time for, to fold his workpants up, shove them into the woodstove, beat across Field’s Church Road down to the riverbank, and slowly drown himself, strangling on the water, washing the ash and dust out of his eardrums, and die in a pure way, natural, so he wouldn’t end up dirty like his father, hanging from the main beam, filthy as a day’s work. more