1. When I was sixteen I wrote a poem that started: As the years press down, I will remember... more

Carl Harlon had a singular, stunning thought as he balanced himself against the carnival’s bright orange plastic storm fence: she is... more

Rueben, since he is on acid and can do things like that, brings Venus right out of the painting that hangs in the bathroom at the... more

First he was on top and then she was on top and then he bent her over a chair and then she sat on the chair and pulled his head down.... more

I should put you on the plane. The plane you’ll take to the bus you’ll take to the car you’ll drive home. I should put you on that... more

I. The Way There
 

On the way there you notice the light again, the same light you’ve noticed ever since you... more

She found me at the public auction house, a placard reading "613" displayed over my head. A jeweled egg hung from her left shoulder, crusted... more

Sometimes there is a freight train stopped on the tracks. The tracks split the town, dividing it into one half and the other. On... more

The honeymoon suite in the bed and breakfast had a Harley-Davidson theme. When the brochure said ‘a haven for bikers,’ we assumed Schwinn.... more

Thurleen’s feet hurt. And her head hurt from Parmalee’s algebra homework. Her eyes hurt because she didn’t have the money... more

I.

On a balmy day in March I went down to the shop and rocking heel to toe with nervousness, explained my preferences: curved back... more

Steve’s pretty sure the Mexicans stole it; serves him right for naming it Chiquita in the first place. But it was a beautiful plant, four... more

Dr. Nathaniel Underwood
President
Academy... more

My current employer, The Wor(l)d Economist, sent me on assignment to interview Gandhi’s grandson, who was in exile... more

1.

A cheap leather coat K’s father lent me when we were visiting and the weather turned cold. It had belonged to... more

There was a bump on his head, and that’s what made him crazy. That’s the story he tells whenever anyone asks about it, the... more

At nearly 2am, I took my trumpet down to the ocean, slung down against my leg like a weapon. I live across the street. A last minute... more

You never know when you’ll turn the corner to find it staring you in the face. You might be on your way to dinner at the kosher... more

The boy wore a powder blue tuxedo and he tap danced around the house in shiny shoes. He wiggled the long tail of his fancy suit. When a... more

In bed with the wife of a guy that I work with, and this isn’t the beginning of the story, but the end of it, and then she calls... more

When Isabel Araya was born in the southern tip of the pampas, twenty-one years, three months, and seven days before she would hold Juan... more

Ernie peered over the dash with a cigarette in his left hand and a can of spiked Pepsi in his right, fingertips grazing the ribbed... more

"Now Mr. Nguyen, here, he could benefit from a little trip over to Harold's Running Bull. Quaff a few, soak up the local culture, and... more

At dinner your friend took your cell phone from your bag and took a photo of me and put your cell phone in your bag. Everyone noticed and I... more

Melissa and I have been together for almost a month, descending through the center of Australia from Darwin near... more