Without thinking too deeply about it we presume ourselves to be adequate parents. The baseline assumption is that we would do anything for the babies; we would fight, we would kill. Tonight somehow they outnumber us, although there are still two of them. The one who was born first has learned to escape his crib…
We’re so excited to announce the 62 titles of our longlist! The submissions we received were so resonant, engaging, and creative that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the shortlist titles in the next few days! Thank you for your patience! From this list, Kathy Fish will select 20 stories…
Sara Hills’ debut flash collection The Evolution of Birds brings her unique brand of surreality to birds, humans and the evolution of both with a skillful blurring of humanity and reality. From dark moments to humor, the collection brings Hills’ unique voice in layers, unflinching, but also balanced with endearing moments and wry humor. The…
By the Gleam of Her Teeth, She Will Light the Path Before Her
After dinner, Father folds a swan out of his paper napkin. Mother says, “My, how early it grows dark.” First Daughter laughs at a flickering outside the window. She thinks it is an out-of-season firefly or a spark from the chimney, but really it is someone creeping through the trees with a flashlight. Father folds…
Calculus of Devotion
—after Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express Clare dresses like an ice cream cone. Chocolate lace, vanilla skirts. All of it melting down her limbs, rain or slush. Faye is glad that Clare doesn’t give her an ounce of recognition—not when they sit next to each other in calculus, or every Saturday after varsity tennis, she stops…
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