STORY OF THE WEEK

STORY OF THE WEEK

Loves Me, Loves Me Not By Claire Xingying Zhang

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

By Claire Xingying Zhang
You’d imagined yourself in the doorway, giving her a knowing look, you in the courtyard, in the spring dusk air with its gentle nip.

POEM OF THE WEEK

POEM OF THE WEEK

Man with a Gun and a Girlfriend By Haley Laningham

Man with a Gun and a Girlfriend

By Haley Laningham
When I was a child I once hallucinated that the laugh track was for me. The ferns throw their hands at my ankles. My dress billows as I stand on slipping sand.

NARRATIVE PRIZE

NARRATIVE PRIZE

NARRATIVE PRIZE

The $5,000 Narrative Prize is awarded annually for the best work published in Narrative by a new or emerging writer.

Please see the Guidelines.

FICTION

FICTION

The Gambler By Morgan Talty

The Gambler

By Morgan Talty
This went on for a time, his eyes closed while he drifted. When I asked where to go, he spoke to me, the son of his dreams, and I asked again, and he told me again.

NONFICTION

POETRY

NONFICTION

NONFICTION

John Irving at Iowa By Ron Hansen

John Irving at Iowa

By Ron Hansen
Suddenly John was there, in slim blue jeans and a rough white shirt that could have belonged to a Spanish troubadour or a sixteenth-century pirate.

POETRY

POETRY

Vaquero By Eduardo Martínez-Leyva

Vaquero

By Eduardo Martínez-Leyva
In Spain, folks call their denim jeans—vaqueros. As in, I’m going to slip into my vaqueros. Take my vaqueros to the bar.

CARTOONS

GRAPHIC STORIES

CARTOONS

CARTOONS

Cartoon Art Volume 2025-03 By Various Artists

Cartoon Art Volume 2025-03

By Various Artists
New laughs over big dreams, small nibbles, and a light rain.

GRAPHIC STORIES

GRAPHIC STORIES

Let’s Learn English! By Tracey K. Berglund

Let’s Learn English!

By Tracey K. Berglund
A visual exploration of some amusing homophones and homonyms in the English language.

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The Lucky Bastard By N. Jane Kalu

The Lucky Bastard

By N. Jane Kalu
Only now does Grace understand that for her mum, the 1993 election held so much promise that it caused hope to spread like a disease.

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Roanoke Rapids By Ashleigh Bryant Phillips

Roanoke Rapids

By Ashleigh Bryant Phillips
Tchaikovsky can be real sad. And sometimes Tchaikovsky can be scary. But it’s never real scary. Things always turn out in the end.

NARRATIVE 10

NARRATIVE 10

NARRATIVE 10

NARRATIVE 10

Narrative 10 By Chris Bohjalian

Narrative 10

By Chris Bohjalian
When I was in college, the writer in residence at my alma mater suggested, “Be a banker.” I knew I had a lot of work to do.

NARRATIVE 10

NARRATIVE 10

Narrative 10 By Allegra Goodman

Narrative 10

By Allegra Goodman
I just knew I had a calling. As an adult it’s good for me to remember what I knew as a child. Writing is more than a profession.