The remnants of my mother’s life fit neatly into the corner of a walk-in closet. They’re a modest inventory: five-mini cassettes, thirty-plus photo albums, a jewelry box containing a frustrated tangle of 14 karat gold chains and tennis bracelets, a couple of high school yearbooks, some salvaged Christmas ornaments and snow globes, a slim blackContinue reading “My Mother’s Only Reader by Jillian Luft”
Category Archives: Creative Nonfiction
The Knife by Jay Parr
I know by the knife in my pocket that this is when I was in high school. I’m maybe seventeen here. Pocket full of scrounged change—stolen change—I’m out on the dark sidewalks of our crime-ridden neighborhood, seriously jonesing for a cigarette, walking down to Handi Mart before they close because the Save-X is already lockedContinue reading “The Knife by Jay Parr”
Seven Broken Ways by Joe Kapitan
The fifth broken way a father loves his son is Drawn Line. In this way, a father grabs his son by the shirt collar and shoves him out the door, tells him not to come back. There is shouting. There is this: you can live in your car, your tent, your anger. This isContinue reading “Seven Broken Ways by Joe Kapitan”
Two Micros by Kathryn Silver-Hajo
All’s Well Considering she was approaching 100, she was doing fine. She still planned dinner with her daughters most days, even put on a few pounds. She enjoyed having a cup of coffee with the neighbors at 4:00 every afternoon, nodding when they spoke of a son getting engaged or how expensive cherries were atContinue reading “Two Micros by Kathryn Silver-Hajo”
For Carrie By Sheree Shatsky
I look directly into the camera. I’m focused. Generations of family gather on the front steps of Rich Valley Presbyterian after visiting the gravesite of our Carrie, who passed of Spanish flu back in 1918, pregnant with twins. Her eyes were Viking blue like mine, like her son, my grandfather. We can only imagine whatContinue reading “For Carrie By Sheree Shatsky”
School Girl’s Puzzle by Rachel Laverdiere
Rachel talks about the how and why of her fascinating piece: I love experimental forms of writing because the slight remove allows me to express truths I’m afraid to admit. I am fascinated with patchwork narratives—how stitching together fragmented experiences creates a tapestry. “School Girl Puzzle” is the second of a series of “quilted” essaysContinue reading “School Girl’s Puzzle by Rachel Laverdiere”
Lost and Found by Jamie Etheridge
1. In New York City, inside Central Park on the path through the woods, you dropped my hand and didn’t pick it up again. Later you never called and I forgot your name, lost your number when I changed phones, apartments, states. 2. On the subway, the seat next to me was empty and thenContinue reading “Lost and Found by Jamie Etheridge”
Kidding, Kidding By Di Jayawickrema
The first time I saw a thing I thought it was a rubber chicken. It looked so funny, drooping fat and yellow out of the man’s pants on the 6 train. I smiled up at him so we could laugh together but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. That’s when I knew he wasn’t kidding. I tugged my Amma’s hand to make her look butContinue reading “Kidding, Kidding By Di Jayawickrema”
First Monsoon By Naz Knudsen
10. Early Mornings The 5:00 AM train that goes through the Sixth Street underpass whistles in the distance. Shuffling the pillows, I try to find a position that offers some relief from the pressure in the back of my neck. I live in an apartment near the University of Arizona campus. As anContinue reading “First Monsoon By Naz Knudsen”
A Glacial Slowness by Tara Isabel Zambrano
My mother is unable to cry. She’s sitting next to my father’s body covered in a white sheet, her hand over his chest. She’s staring at his face—dry, loose lips, a prickly beard—presses her hand on the fabric. The neighbors arrive for the prayers and my mother goes into the kitchen filled with relatives, someContinue reading “A Glacial Slowness by Tara Isabel Zambrano”
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