The boy mastered the alphabet, but the other boys were playing soccer. The boy mastered... more
It's Christmas Eve, our birthday's less than an hour away, and, per Tannen family tradition, it's Davie's and my first night... more
There is much to admire in the life and work of the author Michael Kimball: his sentence craft, his innovation,... more
1.
The sign is taped to a post and weathered and tattered as it is, it would be easy to believe that it has been there for... more
Conversation
She had nine faces already, and each time she began to talk a new one was added. "How does she manage to do that?"... more
My boyfriend and I have sex and when we're finished he holds me close and whispers into my ear, I just date-raped you. What do you do... more
In a walk-in closet, my father's ties were exactly six centimeters apart on wooden dowels. I gently touched the gaps between his ties... more
Leni Zumas' wonderful book Farewell Navigator is full of the kinds of stories I love and the kind of writing I envy.... more
Sumatra, Indonesia, 1963
The hibiscus hedge is the boundary line the girl is not supposed to cross. Sometimes, for something to... more
Those days I believed in Body over Mind. I believed Mind followed Body because I knew matter could think. I was a cook in this little... more
They think I don't hear their whispers, but I do. Even with a bathroom between our bedrooms, all I have to do is put my ear to the wall... more
Cathy Day grew up in Peru, Indiana, where the Great Porter Circus lodged from 1884 to 1939. Her first book, The Circus... more
I met her on the corner of a street and an avenue. "We didn't fix anything," she told me. She was no-nonsense, a fast-walker,... more
My mother is in every room of her house. The kitchen keeps her fingerprints in the flour jar, her lipstick stains on the wine... more
I discovered Yannick Murphy through her Bookworm interview and bought a copy of Here They Come (McSweeney's Books,... more
Sex and Kindness
Rachel left Mac and walked down the dirt road next to the river. She was leaving him for good. A truck drove... more
Transportation
Come dusk the lie will prevail, and even those who know... more
"I don't really know how to put it across," said the private detective.
Birds of spring flew across the bright sky behind the... more
Miguel speaks Spanish and I speak Spanish and Miguel has no idea I do. He lays block while I bring block... more
Temporary People is subtitled "A Fable." What does that mean to you? And how do you think the fable adapts to... more
ADLERIAN THEORY
A little girl in a red princess-style coat with a checkered lining, aged three. She's on tiptoe on... more
Here is the house. Its siding contains asbestos. Its paint contains lead. This is what we were told every time we got caught... more
"Sometimes things aren't supposed to change," Billy would say, lying in bed while rubbing my back, when we got to talking about... more
