In Conversation

In Conversation, a literary arts journal, is now accepting general submissions.

A Few Quick Things by Paul Luikart

A Few Quick Things I used to love this man, a local old guy with some talent for ventriloquism. Mr. Bobby, and the dummy was called Bartolo. They played birthday parties, school assemblies, that kind of thing. Mr. Bobby would pop his eyes wide and smile huge and the dummy would shout, “Who loves you?” …

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Miscellaneous by Jonathan Hayes

Miscellaneous I like the smell of vinegar, gasoline, clove cigarettes, gunpowder, Listerine, shoe polish, my own farts and armpit sweat, citrus, and let’s not forget the pool’s chlorine. Treading water in the deep end — that’s all I know how to do. Everything else,                               sinks. Jonathan Hayes is the editor / publisher of the long-running …

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THE POLISH HAMMER POETRY CORNER: A Polack Amok in Bigfoot Country by Karl Koweski

A Polack Amok in Bigfoot Country Cracker McCracken’s latest cryptid video featuring one very disconcerted Polack topped out at twenty-three views. The muted response from the Bigfoot enthusiast community failed to excite Cracker. “I don’t know what people want,” he huffed. “I thought we put forth some pretty convincing evidence that’s there’s at least one …

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All All #22 by Darren C. Demaree

All All #22 A foam rises. A foam is buried. The serious drama comes when mouths choose a phantom tongue. A lamp can’t be witness if the windows are blacked out. A revolution can’t wait for you. Are you rising? Are you foraging? Are you near water? There’s still some time. There’s enough time for …

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Calming Experience by Ken Poyner

Calming Experience Today all the girls are Molly, all the boys are Ted. Forget yesterday’s names. They no longer apply. Everyone write your own name tag as legibly as you are able. The act of writing more firmly fixes fact in memory. You cannot recycle old name tags. Commitment to the new must be as …

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Dead Possum by James Babbs

Dead Possum last night on the road in front of my house someone ran over a possum and now the body lies out there in the middle of the road with blood all around it this possum isn’t pretending to be dead this possum is truly dead not like the time my dog Sheena chased …

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American Epic by Dan Provost

American Epic Through the pig storms we all enter & the vanity we wear upon leaving— Many of us still overate their value while living through diseases, traumas, empty homes, & empty pockets… You, over there—yes— You. Busting in on the beginning of self-value twenty years ago. Judging Radiohead somewhat of value to your stance …

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The Last Time by Steven Meloan

The Last Time They say there’s a first time for everything but it’s really the last times that matter your last kiss your last sunset your last time making love all of them gathering conspiring unnoticed unremarkable until their true meaning emerges and then at the final moment when some longed-for truth comes rushing in …

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You Are Infinite, Baby, Infinite by Misti Rainwater-Lites

You Are Infinite, Baby, Infinite Fox News and Tik Tok will tell you different but you are money you are bars of gold you are a billion times better than that you are energy you are surplus you are thrum you are purpose you are shiny new truck that never breaks down on the way …

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THE POLISH HAMMER POETRY CORNER: Cracker McCracken, Cryptid Hunter by Karl Koweski

Cracker McCracken, Cryptid Hunter I’d taken great pains where I work to ensure everyone was aware of the prodigious ability I possessed as a writer though I often neglected to mention my absolute dearth of readership. It seemed imperative the boys at the factory understood that I wasn’t just some dumb Polack slinging metal tubes …

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