Gradually She Finds Her Voice John Janelle Backman __________ SuffocatinginherenoroomtotwitchevenbetweenheartlungsdiggingofribsmustgetOUT Mr. Johnson held open his pre-calculus lesson planner, which listed all the assignments for the year, and his finger stabbed at a column mostly of blanks. “See? Here, here, twice that week, here again…John, you’ve missed a ton of homework,”…
Read MoreOn Eldering Clayton H Eccard __________ Recently someone called me an elder, as if I’d crossed the finish line of a race I never agreed to run. “One of our elders,” they said—like a museum piece with a pulse. I’m still discovering what that word asks of me. It’s not…
Read MoreThe Wind Blows heavy Lila-Josey James __________ I look through the transom with two coffees in hand. There’s a pink in the clouds like peaches. We spin out the polished revolving door, and are emptied onto the street. The crosswind hits Marie in the face while brushing past me. Immediately,…
Read MoreOn Death & Dating Morgan Rose-Marie __________ It is fall 2016. The single, sky-blue folder sitting in the top-right corner of my desktop antagonizes me. The white letters of its title spell “Megan”—the name of one of my closest friends. I met her at work—she taught biology in the classroom…
Read MoreTrick or Treat Don Raymond __________ You’ll only get so many of these; try to spend them wisely. Wisely or not, spend them you will: the clock ticks inevitably forward, and the seasons spill their colors across the trees, regardless of your choices. Try to make the best of this.…
Read MoreThe General Penny Nolte __________ A long time ago, Dad and his brother, who was the principal, found it hidden way underthe stage of our little school in upstate New York. They were scrounging around back there, nodoubt only because they could, and that’s when they hauled it out, this…
Read MoreUnconditionally Loved Nicole R. Zimmerman __________ My brother believes I was created to find ultimate fulfillment with a Godly man, not a woman. “Many parents of homosexuals embrace their children,” he said one evening at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. “But that’s the wrong way to love them.” Our father,…
Read MoreCracked Nonah Palmer __________ The egg, as a biological entity, is pretty simple to grasp. Families the world over are familiar with it. The humble chicken egg is a staple of breakfast, lunch, dinner, of Easter pageantry, of overhand vandalism and elementary science experiments. The American Egg Board, in the…
Read MoreHow to Knit a Trans-Solidarity Scarf Robbie Gamble __________ I’m a guy who likes to knit. I have a trans daughter, who I love dearly. I started knitting way back in college, to have something creative to occupy my hands, and I’ve enjoyed knitting sweaters and mittens for friends and…
Read MoreLifespan, Lovespan & The Golden Storm Tara Flaherty Guy __________ Lifespan, Lovespan Lucy lies in a splash of late afternoon sun where it slants in through the patio door, warming the carpet and her soft grey fur. It is unseasonably warm for late October, and the patio door is open.…
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