Short Story Contest Finalist: ‘Stakes’Deb Olin Unferth, guest judge for the 2017 Texas Observer Short Story Contest, says that her favorite short stories “ask big questions, sometimes in the smallest spaces,” but try to avoid providing easy answers. “Like life,” she says, “in a good… Oct 02 17October 02, 2017Article at The Texas Observer
GirlfriendAnother cockroach crawls through my hair. I lift its body, watch its legs wiggle. I hate to kill anything, so I flick him into a corner of the garage and look up from the cement. Johnny, Karl, Sean, and James fold over their instruments like skinny… Jan 16 17January 16, 2017Article at Joyland
How to Vomit Living CreaturesOur Winter 2017 issue doesn’t fly until December 21, but if you’d like an early taste of all the hungry, beastly lit that lies in wait, here’s Deirdre Coyle‘s wonderfully bizarre short story “How to Vomit Living Creatures.” AND THEN SHE VOMITED A… Dec 13 16December 13, 2016Article at Flapperhouse
Fun PersonThe best part about puking on the sidewalk is everyone thinks you’re wasted. Drunk or dopesick, doesn’t matter, if you’re on the sidewalk and vomiting, the assumption is you’re a fuckup but probably a fun person. I hadn’t ingested anything fun. I was… Oct 11 16October 11, 2016Article at Hobart
CasesIssue #129 Guest Editor Jane Liddle's writing previously appeared in Storychord Issue #89. She is a friend to birds and lives in the Hudson Valley. Her short-story collection Murder was published by 421 Atlanta in March 2016. She is currently working… Sep 11 16September 11, 2016Article at Storychord
I Want to be Like Circe Poisoning the SeaWhen the god, Glaucus, fell in love with the sea nymph, Scylla, and Scylla rejected him, Glaucus went to the witch, Circe, for help. Of course he couldn’t take Scylla’s rejection at face value and move on—gods never do, and mortal men also struggle… Mar 17 16March 17, 2016Article at Vending Machine Press
Boys On BicyclesBY DEIRDRE COYLE Editor's Note: A version of this article appeared on our old site. The truth is, I will always be a virgin. And it’s not because I’m stuck-up or because I give a fuck about morals or anything. It’s because people disgust me. I hate… Feb 10 16February 10, 2016Article at Luna Luna Magazine
AutobiographyI was born in a haunted mansion upstate. We moved. I lived in the South. I learned witchcraft in my sleep. In a dream, the goddess Hera came to me dressed in sunflowers. I prayed to her on waking. I moved to Richmond and became a teenager. I cut off… May 30 15May 30, 2015Podcast at Vending Machine Press
Bash the Bishop“I dreamed about masturbating on the highway shoulder,” he tells me. “Standing in some bushes. I turned and saw a corpse right behind me, by the side of the road. A cop pulled over. I said, ‘I know this looks bad, Officer, but I wasn’t masturbating… Jan 21 15January 21, 2015Article at Cheap Pop
The Queen of Ex-Heroin Addict Indie GirlsThe Queen of Ex-Heroin Addict Indie Girls fluffs her scarves like feathers, digs reptilian boots into the dirt, returns to mammalia by unleashing auburn hair. Swan-necked, sparrow-shy, she’s the bird you envy till it smashes into glass. We’ve been… Apr 27 14April 27, 2014Article at Control Literary Magazine
Catherine StreetAshes shattered across the bed as he coughed, fist clenched against his mouth. “Shit,” he said. The word was wrong, the break of stillness disconnected from his voice. He leapt over me to look out the window, a cloud coughing from his lungs. “What… Aug 21 13August 21, 2013Article at Fwriction: Review
