This was the life I had planned, but I was no longer sure it was the one I wanted. I kept asking myself: What was I working so hard for?
POEM OF THE WEEK
POEM OF THE WEEK
The Buried Coal Miners at Sipesville
By John Glowney
A bewilderment of tunnels sings the men into looted ballrooms of coal to shovel themselves into rock.
FALL STORY CONTEST
FALL STORY CONTEST
We’re looking for short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, and excerpts from long fiction and nonfiction.
Please see the Guidelines.
FROM THE LIBRARY
FROM THE LIBRARY
The Rooms
By Susan Minot
What she wanted, she found herself saying before the sob choked her, was to be able to live—not just with another person, but with herself.
NARRATIVE PRIZE WINNER
FICTION
NARRATIVE PRIZE WINNER
NARRATIVE PRIZE WINNER
October Phone Call and Other Poems
By Madeleine Cravens
My loneliness is not less because I understand it more, or because I have condoned it. Mist and roads in all directions.
FICTION
FICTION
Any Good Child
By Tryphena L. Yeboah
I’m convinced that Ma wants me to see, needs me to step into her world and learn its songs but never actually dance to its tune until it’s time.
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Dead Man’s Run, a story
By Olufunke Ogundimu Introduced by Tryphena L. Yeboah
One of the ghosts I walk with is me. It lives the life I left and continues to thrive as if I did not leave.
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Pa’ la Calle, a story
By Lily Philpott Introduced by Morgan Talty
I knew in the dream that I was a condor in the shape of a girl, and I drank in the thin mountain air until my human lungs ached with it.
NONFICTION
WRITERS’ RESOURCES
NONFICTION
NONFICTION
The Art of Becoming a Citizen
By Gail Godwin
One of the perks of living a long life is that you get to drop down and look around and see what happened afterward.
WRITERS’ RESOURCES
WRITERS’ RESOURCES
Looking for an MFA program or a writing conference to attend? Seeking sage advice or a good book on writing?
Don’t miss our curated list of Writer’s Resources.
NARRATIVE OUTLOUD
NARRATIVE 10
NARRATIVE OUTLOUD
NARRATIVE OUTLOUD
The Transit of Venus
By Shirley Hazzard
An exclusive excerpt of actor Juliet Stevenson reading Shirley Hazzard’s The Transit of Venus with an introduction from our own Carol Edgarian.
NARRATIVE 10
NARRATIVE 10
Narrative 10
By Matthew Zapruder
I actually remember writing in a green diary I had when I was thirteen: “When you get older, don’t forget how bad it feels when adults don’t listen to kids.”
CARTOONS
CARTOONS
CARTOONS
CARTOONS
Cartoon Art Volume 2024-10
By Various Artists
New laughs with a financially savvy pharaoh, a perfectly regular late-night routine, a tough-lidded interview, and more.
CARTOONS
CARTOONS
Cartoon Art Volume 2024-09
By Various Artists
New laughs with an uncertain generation, an unexpected promotion, a revelation at the pearly gates, and more.
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
Anniversary of You
By Mark Kyungsoo Bias
I’ve taken in the highway and the see-through reflection of my own face. It’s funny watching the people pass through it.
POETRY
POETRY
That
By Chris Dombrowski
That we have tea to drink. That late-winter sunlight streams through the living room windows. That the dog has a bed to sleep on or a couch if he prefers.
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
Hunan Wishes
By Daniel Halpern
With the moon half in shadow we spin these inner moons of the earth on the sprigs of fire focused under the tempered carbon steel of the wok.
POETRY
POETRY
The Free Tower
By Ted Kooser
Behind her I slowly climbed, passing through a life’s history of all her odors, those years now happening all over again as I climbed through them.
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
Brothel
By Edward Salem
I walked to the olive grove and stood among the trees, trying to memorize my awe. I stood among them as if in a brothel and inhaled the wind.
POETRY
POETRY
Still Life with a Seashell and Dr. Caligari
By Alex Tretbar
Say I were to say, “Say something.” Or, “It’s blue, the shape of the air unable to escape.”