Most recent stories

the inflammation of a god for the world

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How I managed to find you, out of all the meaningless places on earth, in a place like Villa Park, among cornfields yet! And to have spent with you an age, a lifetime of nights, to empty out a little our emptiness. And all the hand can conceal, whether

The Uninvited Guest

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The first time I see her, she is slouched in a tire swing, pushing off with one foot and dragging the other beneath a dying pecan tree that probably hasn't made a nut in 20 years.

1939, What I wanted

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...when suddenly I was pushed from behind, smack into the deep end.

My Brain is a Pre-Historic Babe Magnet

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Ug seemed kinda down in the dumps so, uncharacteristically for a male hominid, I asked him why he looked so glum. “Ug no find nice girl,” he said, poking a stick in the dirt.

1998, What I Wanted

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What I wanted was long-in-the-sheets sex...

Manhattan Love Stories #5: Suicide Birds (sic)

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I look for the boy we met inside the club, the one who claimed he loved playing with matches, setting fire to churches. I spot him smoking a cigarette, standing so cool against the side of the club, like he might be the nephew of some Viking guitarist hun

1992, What I Wanted

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I once dreamed of taking a trip to Northumbria with a lover and reading the poem together on the fells.

1997: What I Wanted

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If all the world had one neck, I would have clenched my hands around it and squeezed until everything went black.

I heard you singing in the bedrooms

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I heard you singing in the bedrooms with me. The down I was fond of, down of your cheek, your thighs light blonde in the light. Out of the dark, sweet bay, were you like a shining rock, shining white, undulating, a thing of heat. I remember you, yes!

Tak Tuckerby

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Tak Tuckerby was a racecar driver. He could drive a racecar fast and handle a racecar perfectly. Unfortunately, Tak could only drive in one direction.

Award Season

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I made the List!

Behind the Writing - Music

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A powerful song is often a result of imaginative storytelling through a unique “voice” and pitch-perfect musicality.

The Undercover Kingdom

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If you had on pajamas with pockets you could sneak a handful of animal crackers upstairs, but first you had to get them out of the kitchen.

1978 What I Wanted

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What I wanted was to rewind the film

Leftover Author's Notes

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#281: If you make it to the end on this one, I'll send you $1,000 in cash and a bag of apples. Your choices are Granny Smith and Fuji. I can also pay you in euros if that helps.

This is Mardi Gras

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We fly in first-class on Piggy Bank's dime, arriving at eight o'clock on Friday morning. The limousine driver with chestnut skin holds up a sign with our names on it. We drink single malt scotch from crystal glasses as New Orleans jaunts past…

With Emily Dickinson as Walt Whitman Walks in the Bar

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Oh no, here is that Whitman man I’ve heard he is a bounder. Don’t look his way or catch his eye- Just get another round, dear.

Attention, Stargazers

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And in the end we're crouched over like children / sifting through this tide-pool

1992, What I Wanted

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To be a backup dancer for Billy Ocean; that's all. I had chubby legs like a baby. They turned out akwardly as if I had broken hips but mum said it was just the way I came out and I would grow out of it.

Moving On

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...Father is with her, face stinking with cheer...

Dragonfly

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You surprised me then, / climbing onto my finger: / climbing into my heart. / Your long, cobalt body felt weightless on my hand.

The Truth about the Law

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I hear the undying screams of the children outside.

Cheap and Convenient

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Later, when she said she'd had miscarriages, I should have put it all together.

Last Words

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I met Barry Hannah once in my life. I’d come to Oxford, MS, to meet an entirely different writer whom I thought then and think now very highly of. I’d also come to escape from another slew of regrets. Oxford is a great city to run away to.

Filth

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“Get ya hands outta there, ya filthy old cunt!” I look up, his distorted face hurling more abuse.

Sushi, Bentham Ave.

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I suggested a threesome for her birthday. In jest, I thought. But here we are; me in my checkered Oxford, Katie in her red silk blouse, as planned. We're at this sushi place at the corner of 9th and Bentham. “Zuma.” I hate this restaurant, to tell you the…

The Man That Wasn't Hers

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"I am lying on my back and am confused."

A Short Film About Baseball

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The throw was the last leg of a triple play.

2011 - What I Wanted

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I might have gotten laid

In My Nephritic Dreams

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In my dreams, I watch a sand shark sleep / on a coral bed