I'm a big fan of blue. The dark, deep blues. Like that James Taylor song, deep greens and blues are the colors I choose. Green's nice,... more
Up to our lunch room table came the newest, biggest loser in the ninth grade -- Intercom! We called him Intercom because he wore a big... more
Earl Jenkins was a security guard at PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates play baseball. Every time he worked one of the... more
Sometimes the name they give you is all wrong. Sugar or Baby, something sweet, something helpless, something you are not and never... more
Before the curious series of events that stunned a quiet community, Calvin Flack DDS wondered if he would ever find the perfect dental... more
In May of 2003 there appeared, in a small corner of the... more
A selection from Picnic in Ten Years' Time
an as of yet unpublished manuscript by Jesse... more
Samedi The Deafness, the debut novel from Jesse Ball released this September is baffling readers and reviewers. The... more
And the earth died screaming
While I lay dreaming
--Tom Waits
He came from Wal-Mart. Some fellow was loitering by the... more
It's August, and it smells like grass and cranberry fruit snacks. I pick my brother up from the post office where he works.... more
Ryan Boudinot is a Hobart favorite -- heck, he edited our fourth issue. There are few contemporary writers we'd... more
At school, we were allowed to wear costumes but were not allowed to bring treats. So we'd made the most of it -- we wore our costumes, we... more
We spread a blanket off to one side of the boat launch, under some trees. Island Lake, in Shelton, Washington, is surrounded by... more
NOTE TO READERS: this interview with Victor LaValle went much longer than expected, and we couldn't bear to part... more
The apartment smells of burnt toast when Marcia arrives home from work. Her husband, Gary, having toasted two loaves that afternoon,... more
Rick Moody's not the kind of writer who needs one of these introductory paragraphs. Author of some of our most... more
I'm functional in the sense that I make it to evening confrontations. At the sushi bar, Gita keeps talking about some girl she works... more
"You played sports?" he asks over dinner. They're having baked chicken and baked potatoes. Clean food is how she thinks of it, only a... more
The hair monster checked out the ass of a handicapped woman. She was standing with her back turned when the... more
Roy Kesey's best stories manage to be hilarious and poignant, absurd and intelligent, amusing but still close to the... more
She was what his father, who had a Betty Grable calendar in the garage, used to call a bleached blonde, and she was kind of daffy-taffy... more
The earth is deep brown and peppered with crows. Sorry-looking cows nuzzle the frozen refuge. Two mongrel dogs, skinny,... more
Gerry let out a loud belch and tried unsuccessfully to focus on Albert.
"I've got to get her back. I miss her so... more
What was he thinking? Any one of us could've found it. Cards, letters, notes, and worst of all, photos. A woman -- a blonde, of all... more
