29 Nov
One of my short stories is featured in the latest issue of Mannequin Envy. It’s called Coffee Wisdom. There are poems and stories by Susan Slaviero, Meg Pokrass, Jeff Klooger, Paul Fisher, Jeff Calhoun, and many others.
I love the paintings by Pauline Lim, very surreal and Frida Kahloish.
The frozen socks have been a big hit with Red and Duffy. They chew on the knotted socks until the socks thaw, and then they play tug-of-war with them. This morning they ran in circles through the kitchen, living room, and dining room, and now they’ve gone to their separate corners to chew on fresh, [...]
My office looks out onto rat’s alley. Yes, I’m alluding to The Waste Land, but there really are rats down there. They must like the vat of discarded fast-food grease next to the parking deck. But there’s a view, with natural light. And the air conditioning works. A huge improvement on last year’s basement office.
I visited the Dalí exhibit again, this time with a poet friend who hosts the radio show melodically challenged on WRAS. Her program broadcasts on Sundays from 2:00-4:00 in the afternoon, and features poets reading their own works, along with music that enhances the show’s theme. One of the more recent playlists highlighted poems about [...]
The boys said he was six months old, but I’m not so sure. He chews on anything made of plastic, rubber, paper, or wood. One night he started chewing my toes under the blanket, not understanding the lumps were a part of me!
Emily Elizabeth Schulten read from her collection Rest in Black Haw (2009, Summerfield Press) for the Solar Anus Reading Series at Beep Beep Gallery in Atlanta. Many of the poems from her book, rich with imagery of domestic life and the natural world, point to her Kentucky roots. She also read a few pieces from [...]
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Wonderfully written, but such a tease. I wanted more.
oh that was a delight… i had a friend,, a girl from Romania who used to read the grounds left in the bottom of the tiny demitasse cups in which she always served her coffee… none of them ever materialized,,, but it was an adventure just the same…..
Congratulations!
Congratulations, and what a wonderful story. I was taken with the details, the pacing, the telling. I like the sharp arc of it.
(I *just* used “Stalactites” in a poem today. Really. And I did not read your story first. That blows me away. :-0)
Thanks, guys. Collin, maybe I’ll write a part 2. I submitted the story as flash fiction, so I had to be brief.
Paisley, the one part of the story that comes from real life is having my coffee grounds read by a friend. It was fun! I can’t remember what she predicted, but I think she said I would be rich, and that sure hasn’t come true.
Deb, synchronicity strikes again….
Such imagination and attention to detail. Christine, I love it.
How did I miss this post. You know I read it and loved it. Very well done, C.
I just read it, and I love it, Christine! I love Ana from Zagreb. I mean, I just instantly liked her, as well as the narrator. I agree with Christine’s comment about the details. Your details are excellent! I am always impressed by flash when it’s done well, because I can’t do it. I will, however, study what you have done to try to learn more. An exceptional piece. Congratulations on a well deserved publication!
You certainly created quite a strong visual in a small package. Congrats and thanks for dropping by.