The Goblin King and Me, by Sara Campbell
1987. I am 11 years old and I am already an inveterate babysitter on a Saturday night gig.
Death, Love, Sex, and Memory (the Day David Bowie Died), by Nate Brown
1. Death
This is supposed to be a short piece about David Bowie, written on the occasion of his death, which was a terrible surprise.
Looking at David Bowie in a Teen Magazine While Hiding in the Bathroom from my Family, by K. R. Rosman
The boys are ones and the girls are zeroes because boys hit harder and a 0 looks like it would embrace you. Girls hit, too, so the circle arms are for appearances. But now here you are, under my thumb, gloss on gloss, my sister's magazine that she threw in the trash under the sink, closing the cupboard door before I could reach it.
This Chaos is Killing Me, by J. Bradley
As I read the various feeds mourning David Bowie’s passing, I see Heroes, Low, Ziggy Stardust name checked as some of his best work. There is only one other person I’ve seen acknowledge David Bowie’s Outside in some capacity.
Let’s Dance, by Melissa Stephenson
In 1983 my older (and only) sibling took me to buy my first album. On vinyl, he insisted. It’s the only way. Our folks had a sprawling collection of their own, built mostly in the late 60s and early 70s when they were teenagers and young parents.
From the editor: That Voice, by Sheila Squillante
The last time I cried over a celebrity death was in 1990. I was dropped out of college and working in the most mediocre women’s clothing department at Macy’s.
Second Midnight, by Devi S. Laskar
Perhaps it is the spectacle of Mother Nature. The special science field trip in the eleventh grade, on the very day her sister misses school because of food poisoning (someone had laced the brownies with Ex-Lax at the neighborhood picnic the afternoon before). A moment of unparalleled beauty.
Alligators, by Tara Isabel Zambrano
The stare of the gypsy girl, taut as a cable. She sits opposite to me, next to an older woman, probably her mother, in an open truck.
Barri Ammi, by Palvashay Sethi
You know her. Have heard of her through cautionary tales with the caution being
dispensed dubious at best and unnecessary at worst.
Fuck All Gall, by Abeer Hoque
She first saw Sure at a pub in town. The place was like a cellar with wooden pillars in awkward places which made it hard to dance but easy to look all angles. Galway was thronged per its Saturday usual, pubs packed, the cobblestone streets streaming with people. The weather was warm, and there was a sheen on people’s faces, more than just the drink.
The Storms, by Sarah Thankam Mathews
The week before I turn thirty-four, the rising waters flood my stupid, spiteful Red Hook rental for the second time.
A Hipster Devil Christmas, by Tara Campbell
Prompt, by Claire Lombardo: Write about an exquisitely eccentric holiday guest.
A Loudness of Screechers, by Rion Amilcar Scott
Prompt, by Tara Campbell: Banquet of beasts: beasts could be literal/figurative/whatever. And they could be on either side of the table: eating or being eaten. Or they could be underneath the table doing whatever it is beasts do best.
Conjoined, by Dana Diehl
Prompt, by Rion Amilcar Scott: Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hannukkah/Three King's Day after society has ended and civilization is struggling back to life.
A Very Mario Lopez Christmas, by Megan Giddings
Prompt, by Dana Diehl: Write a story with the plot (or could-be plot) of a made-for-TV ABC Family holiday special.
When You Were Here, by Claire Lombardo
Prompt, by Megan Giddings: A family wakes up on Christmas morning to find all their chosen holiday gifts are gone. They instead find unwrap weird objects (an old pipe, a sock with a weird stain, etc) and become very, very confused.
Overwinternight, by Helen McClory
Prompt, from Leah Umansky: Write in the second person. Include one or all of the following images: star, snowflake, owl, a famous tv character.
Shepherds, Why This Jubilee?, by Bryan Furuness
Prompt, by Helen McClory: Write about the most moving thing you have seen at festive time (can be totally fictional of course).
Submission Guidelines for Letters to Santa, by Tara Laskowski
Prompt, by Bryan Furuness: Submission guidelines for letters to Santa.