In Conversation

But Don’t You Need That? At our family’s favorite barbeque restaurant my eight year-old nephew examines my new scar. It juts across my neck and a teenager yesterday at the grocery store pointed and laughed and called me Frankenstein! when she saw it. My nephew’s not an asshole, though. He asks: What’d the doctor take …

Planting Stones to Teleport: A Conversation with Seance of the Bees author Andrea Rexilius With her latest collection, Séance of the Bees, poet Andrea Rexilius has succeeded at what countless others have attempted, achieved a secure balance of realism and lyricism. She does this by carefully chosen ideas and words and syntax cueing sensory response …

The Best Bar in Town for William Taylor Jr. It used to be the best bar in town. Strong drinks, cheap, a gentle roughness like a faded tattoo. The pool league met every Thursday and Ponyboy and his crew held the tables dollar on the out. Deb was there for lunch talking the Viking’s ear …

Don’t Eat That Sandwich —for all the Marlas I am Jill’s complete lack of estrogen. I am Jill’s willingness to laugh at the innate nature of men to talk over women while I exceedingly interrupt them, watching as they stutter over their words, growing louder and louder -because volume equals visibility. I am Jill’s memories …

Disengaged I don’t let anyone inside if they don’t reveal who they are. I hide in my closet and wait for them to leave a mannequin in front of my garage or throw stale bread across my lawn. I won’t eat it because I’m not a pet. The latest mannequin doesn’t have a mouth so …

Wintry Mixes and Arctic Vortexes “It’s supposed to get bad this weekend,” Milt says. “Looks like we’re going to be iced in for at least a week.” Ten minutes later. “There’s a possibility it’s going to miss North Alabama totally. Michigan’s gonna be under fifteen feet of snow, though.” Milt sits in his Catnapper Laz-E-Boy, …

Price Chopper Mom Self-Exiled today to A Price Chopper parking lot, listening to Jesus Christ Mode. Trying to grab raw emotions out of observing angry mothers scolding their children, groceries in tow. One raging mom leaves the store violently, dragging little Junior behind her We exchange a token glance, then turn away in human shame—Out …

kill the poor for the Holy Spirit kill the poor for the Holy Spirit kill the poor for the Holy Spirit and in His name and on your Girl Scout honor you testify youre better than those people you testify you are better than those people you testify you’re better than those people ahead in …

Definition I admit the woman in my dream last night was, at best, a composite, sharing personality traits with several past lovers: a skeptical nature, a growing detachment from whatever this thing was. Climbing the stairs I saw the roof collapse— she disappeared through the exit, free falling upwards, a motion not unlike flying. Later …

Carnage Upon Innocence -Or- America, You Make Me Cry As we collectively sigh, quoting George Orwell on social media on a Thursday afternoon in North America seems to be the equivalent of a well-tossed fart from the cupped hand of a sibling, vying for attention before the real fight starts. Good for a couple laughs, …