Issue 22 / Summer 2020
Creative Nonfiction
“Landscape with a Snake Crossing My Mind” by Jennifer Brown
“There was never anything to be afraid of, but I developed a fearful reaction to the sight or idea of snakes, avoiding not only the natural beasts, but photos of them and bins of fake plastic snakes in toy stores.”
The Letter
“I scrutinized the letters one more time, the envelopes lying side by side on the desk. Most inmates who tried to con several women at least had the good sense to send out their letters at different times.”
On Seeking Joy in a Vacuum
“I lay on the carpet like a chalk outline, lined with evidence of joy.”
Somewhere in Between
“Could Eurydice see the grooves of the trail ahead? Did she want to? To which world did she belong?”
Alfonso
“Alfonso regarded us all as lowly work animals, his fellow kitchen Mexicans and the gringos in the dining room alike. His tongue knew no hierarchy.”
Why Do You Feel Always Sad?
“b. When you don’t do anything for longer than thirty minutes, you feel even worse because you are no longer a Productive Member of Society, and now you’re just Always Sad again.”
Fiction
Tangerine Strands
“Lucretia wondered if Mrs. Atwood saw the pain, suffering, and sadness that animated Mia’s barely nodding head. She wondered if Mrs. Atwood knew that she was responsible for those emotions.”
Empty Desks
“She calls me just yesterday, your mom. Wants to know if I think you’re ok. I say I reckon you’re not, but go on tell me what’s up anyway.”
Nothing Earth Shattering
“And last fall, when the Piedmont Gas man lit the pilot light in the floor furnace of their house, the masculine tang of Old Spice and clean sweat lingered long after he’d left, and she sat in the creeping autumn dusk savoring the scent until the smell of burning dust gradually overcame the memory.”