Fiction
August Contributors
Mario Aliberto III, Amber Budd, Margaret Cahill, Jayson Carcione, Zoë Davis, Kenna DeValor, Benjamin Drevlow, Madison Ellingswoth, Kim Farleigh, Travis Flatt, Adam J. Galanski-De León, GRSTALT Comms, Kate Horsley, Kenneth M. Kapp, Rebecca Karas, Rick Kennett, Alex McNicoll, Dimitri Partsi, Robert L. Penick, Alexi Raymond, James Rayvin, Wyatt Robinette, Beth Sherman, Marcus Silcok, Kevin Richard White, and Rick White
August Highlights
-
![]()
somewhere beyond worry
by Alex McNicoll
“‘Everything’s on fire—it’s beautiful,’ Colin said. And then, finally, I could hear them too, whistling like hummingbirds picking flowers. Bombs. Bombs that weigh as much as buildings and burn biblically.”
-
![]()
shiver a beauty
by GRSTALT Comms
“He never lets me fuck him – he always tells me ‘Next time’ – and that’s what keeps me coming back, the promise.”
-
![]()
just breath
by Zoë Davis
“The ancient ceiling fan, whining on an exposed fist of wiring, didn’t so much as move the air but stir it.”
-
![]()
come back, panda bear
by Margaret Cahill
“When I turned to continue my walk, there he was: a man in a panda bear suit at the end of the boardwalk. At least I assumed it was a man, given that the figure was at least six feet tall.”
-
![]()
still deadly in death
by Kim Farleigh
“‘These winds,’ he warned, ‘are prophecies of your impending deaths. Don’t you little bunnies worry about that.’"
-
![]()
big boss
by Kevin Richard White
“I want to be your shield and guide, and when I go to drive or move to try to find anchor, she just turns into unbreakable white snow ahead, and I’m afraid of skidding.”
fishing at olive garden
by Travis Flatt
“And you’re just staring. I didn’t realize, getting all worked up for the punchline, that my mask has begun to slip and some of my horns are showing..”
how may i help you, you sniveling twit?
by Chad Gayle
“Hi! I’m Dirk Bogarde, your online AI assistant. How can I be of service? That is, what can I do for you that you could do for yourself but choose not to?”
sand
by Scott Ortolano
“Glancing over, Amory watched as Brooke’s face drifted and dissolved, ebbing away into the headlights of a passing car; the oblivion holding terror and beauty against the dark skyline.”
unintelligible mutterings of a not yet dead corpse
by Odin Meadows
“The corpse lies on the couch eating Cheerios while I clean.”
the children’s library
by Marshall Moore
“I consider a shock. The collars also have retractable spikes. It’s so nice to have options. Instead, I stand up to leave.”
hollywood
by Mike Lee
“Three pulp paperbacks lined up on the wooden rack at the used bookstore I frequented in the East Village. One was by my father, a man my family hardly mentioned.”
area man
by Michael Grant Smith
“Dagger and Crowbar swore their baby sister Klamiddea (named after the Ancient Greek goddess of horniness) was the sweetest of all Raceways.”
the modest widow
by hiromi suzuki
“The dead put on their respective shoes and return to the heavens riding on the lift.”
three stories
by Joseph Linscott
“You settle into a hollow. In your brain, a vibration hums that matches the wiggling of worms under your body. A pale glow from the moon extinguishes your fire. Shivers shudder out and from your mouth a grey winged moth emerges.”
lord miserable
by Sean Ennis
“You think it would be easy to feel superior to a Satanist, but you would be wrong. I regularly sell my soul for discount codes, free shipping, and no-obligation, one-month trials.”
cartoon people
by Mileva Anastasiadou
“My shrink does her best but she’s tired. There’s some kind of subtle wisdom in cartoons, but it’s not what I think it is, she claims. She says I don’t miss him, I miss the game.”
blood loss
by Mary Salome
“I used a razor blade to cut my finger and let the blood trickle…”