Creative
Nonfiction
April Contributors
Erica Anderson, Scott Bethay, Dyre Copenhale, Zary Fekete, Tafara Gava, Molly Higgins, Patrick Johnston, Kristy Money, Danielle Rufrano, Swapan Samanta, A. L. Smith, and Maxim Volk
April Highlights
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dear ivan pavlov,
CNF by Erica Anderson
“That little sh*t stop patch of land is permanently burned into my brain. Like Pavlov’s dogs, the sight alone makes my body remember unloading brunch onto very expensive dirt.”
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prayer to our fallen matriarchs
CNF by Dyre Copenhale
“Along the way, we collect moments, memories that made us feel alive, to remember that this is all temporary. Life is only transition.”
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demimonde note taking
Micro CNF by Patrick Johnston
“I seem to spend half my time thinking thoughts on the back of motor scooters. Juddering past ancient Wats and Temples and Mosques and Cathedrals. And open front stores where wiry, tanned mechanics fix bikes.”
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in the dark
CNF by A. L. Smith
“Every part of my skin glistens with sweat from the unbearable heat of this summer night. The sticky discomfort tempts me to shed the covers, but I will not.”
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sumo
CNF by Scott Bethay
“Other hallway chats with [Mr. D] concerned my procrastination, my lackadaisical nature, his not infrequent dirty jokes, and his admonishment to “be careful” because the other teachers thought I was ‘thinking about sex all the time.’"
three micro/flash
by Maxim Volk
“The pastor begins his weekly exegesis, and before he reaches the first mandate from the Most High, my teenage mind has slipped away, floating over the congregation of parishioners, each there for a service that I care little about.”
demimonde note taking
by Patrick Johnston
“I seem to spend half my time thinking thoughts on the back of motor scooters. Juddering past ancient Wats and Temples and Mosques and Cathedrals. And open front stores where wiry, tanned mechanics fix bikes.”
blue danube
by Danielle Rufrano
“I elbowed him in the stomach, rushed through the rows of students, cautious not to trip over my laces, the feet of other students, picked up my violin, tucked it under my chin, and played “Blue Danube”.
recipe for disaster
by Sara Hutchinson
“After enjoying the dish you may experience a nausea, anxiety and sleeplessness. However, if you make the dish and survive, you will feel better. Safety warning: this recipe may cause divorce.”
six
by Magda Lynne
“The danger, unmistakable. Without a word, I duck low. At six, it isn’t far. Another dinner plate breaks on the kitchen floor.”
plucking
by Chel Campbell
“A white egg cracks. Death’s indifferent eyes cloud over with the golden yolk of time.”
the box
by David Henson
“I’ve heard of people who eat in their box, curl up and sleep in it…almost never leave. Don’t let that happen. The box isn’t for living in. The box is for living out.”
an aching absence of song
by Alex Palmatier
“I wonder if you were put away for longer, things would have been different. Or if they gave you a guitar. What I would give to hear you play again.”
i could have saved my dog
by Katie Vinson
“I don’t have her, I could have had her, should have had her snatched, stealed, soughted police, priests, hitmen, even a hitman would’ve grabbed her, I left, walked in, walked out, I walked right fucking past her…”
ode to ghost hunting
by Chel Campbell
“…it delivers us to our haunted spot, a campsite where, some forty years ago, teens were murdered by two brothers with shotguns. Point blank.”
invisible
by Josh Price
“The dark becomes morning and I catch myself staring at the sun. I pull out my eyes, to keep them from burning.“
three micros
by Christopher Locke
“A stairwell rises infinite as people stumble through smoke, a dark crush of firefighters splits the surge of jackets and ties; a barefoot woman appears in a green dress on fire.”
things you’re not googling this morning
by Justine Sweeney
“5.43am: How to talk to children about... Instead look up a recipe for muffins, check you’ve got the ingredients in and get cooking before the kids wake up.”
when my father hugs me
by Chel Campbell
“He admits he was young once and did things young men do—and the betta fish is still in that concrete basement, in that old house, circling his aquarium.”
broke
by Johannah Simon
“I keep my damn mouth shut. I can’t afford the truth. Talk isn’t cheap, its expensive AF. And I’m broke.”
exhumation
by Sally Huggins Toner
“Tombstones cover nothing but the earth and the carbon underneath that feeds the leaves of next year’s trees. Tombstones cover lies and the truth. We don't know exactly where she lies.”
words unwinged
by David Henson
“The heaps and our dismay grow. Resigned, we build bonfires and sweep in the words. As they ascend with the smoke, we wonder if we'll ever know their beauty again.”