46 posts by Malik White

April 28, 2025

I am Conscious, Therefore I Am

Posted by Malik White in Featured Posts, Member Writing & Art, Writing

Thoughts On Why We Are Conscious, by Steve Sangapore *Featured image courtesy of geralt on pixabay.com* What is consciousness? How did life originate? Are we alone in the universe? What is the solution to the marriage of general relativity and quantum mechanics? These are, among many others, some of the deepest wonders the human mind grapples with. Some are fairly recent to our catalog of existential mysteries while others have been with us since our ancient ancestors first gazed up at the heavens. In our modern time, these great questions have been left at the foot of the scientific enterprise as we patiently await new progress and developments that bring us closer to resolving these mysteries. One of them, however, is not like the others. Consciousness and conscious experience are understood as the subjective, intrinsic qualities…

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April 18, 2025

National Poetry Month – 2025

Posted by Malik White in Featured Posts, Member Writing & Art, Writing

*Featured Image courtesy of Christy Mandin and Poets.org* Fictional Cafe celebrates National Poetry Month for the fifth year in a row. We’re celebrating National Poetry Month once again! If you’d like to participate, feel free to submit your poetry here. At the end of the month, our Baristas will get together and vote on their favorites, with the top 3 poems earning a featured spot on the website. In addition, the winners will receive a free copy of our poetry writer in residence’s book – Echoes Lost in Stars. Good luck, and happy writing! National Poetry Month additional info: here.

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March 19, 2025

Two Men in Davos by Albert L. Rodriguez

Posted by Malik White in Writing

*Featured image courtesy of MabelAmber on Pixabay* Two men sat down to determine the future population trend of the world. The meeting took place in a secure VIP room in an exclusive five-star hotel in Davos, Switzerland. Both men had their crews of assistants and on-the-spot analysts. They both represented a collaborating syndicate of billionaires. The meeting was top-notch secretive. One of the men had just flown in from Paris. The other had been hosed down naked in a yacht and rubbed with a soap that featured gold and diamond powder just a few hours before in an undisclosed Greek Island. The shorter one was a Frenchman. The taller one was American. But neither of them were public figures. They were discreet operatives mostly known in the elite worlds of multinational corporations and international banking. …

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February 13, 2025

5 Poems by Allison Whittenberg

Posted by Malik White in Writing

*Featured image courtesy of Ulrike Mai on Pixabay* This week features some wonderful poems by Allison Whittenberg. We always appreciate uniqueness at FC, and Allison’s gritty style certainly appealed to us. Take a look for yourself and tell us what you think! Proximity going out for breakfast and never coming back my husband left me in my wheelchair green from the insurance, gone so is the time I could have insisted more the driver was my friend, can you deep sue a friend? the accident, foreseeable to anyone who wasn’t seeking fun and 18 7 of us piling in 4 seats handsome man from influential family turbo style driving on the wrong side of the road jeep flips we catapult I land in a tree I can’t feel my legs 7 hours of surgery I…

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February 6, 2025

8 Art Pieces by QQ Yi

Posted by Malik White in Fine Art, Member Writing & Art

*Curated by Fine Arts Barista, Yucen Yao* We have another set of art pieces this week, this time featuring QQ Yi. It is clear that QQ is a talented artist in many of its mediums: from painting, to writing, and music as well. I hope she shares her work with us again in the future as she continues to grow as a person and an artist. Artist Statement: I enjoy smearing words on your face, just like spreading paint on a canvas. What is medium, truly? It is the essence of mountains, kiwis, books, melodies, winds, birds, dried fragments of skin, dumplings, Sichuan peppercorns, the passing of three birthdays, nocturnal pathways, the inexplicable affection for another, stones, Pat Martino’s guitar riffs, chairs, a light bulb cradled in a pillowcase, the hummingbird outside my window, the…

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January 24, 2025

10 Collage Pieces by Joe Suh

Posted by Malik White in Fine Art, Member Writing & Art

We have something special for you all on FC this week. Our Arts and Design barista, Yucen Yao, has been working hard since she joined, and we finally have a chance to show some of the work she has curated for us. First up, we have a set of collage pieces by Joe Suh. I especially resonated with Joe’s artist statement because I feel like it embodies what Fictional Café stands to be – a creative space for artists to express and share their passions. I’m happy Joe decided to share his work with us, and I hope he shares more of his creations with us in the future. Artist Statement: My personal practice focuses on the physical and meditative exploration that comes from creating physical collages in a digitally dominated profession. As a contrast…

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January 18, 2025

“Wire Man” by Andrew Newall

Posted by Malik White in Writing

*Featured image courtesy of FenesiKinga on Pixabay.com* Heroes can come in all shapes and sizes, and Andrew Newall proves that in his wonderful piece, “Wire Man”. This is a very unique story that I’m sure all of you will enjoy, and I look forward to seeing more stories from Andrew in the future. A little man made from one rod of wire, no more than eight inches tall, shrugged off his motionless pose and walked to the edge of his high shelf to look across the studio. Strewn with drawing and painting utensils, it was standard chaotic clutter uplifted by striking watercolours, pastels and models lying here and there. The artist had left for lunch. That familiar sound of the door locking signalled play time for the wire man and his colleagues. Papier mâché figures…

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January 7, 2025

8 Poems by John Grey

Posted by Malik White in Member Writing & Art, Writing

*Featured image courtesy of Tama66 on Pixabay* Happy New Year! Let’s kick it off with a wonderful set of poems from longtime FC contributor, John Grey. CAR NERD On his wall, he’s hung a poster of an automobile cutaway. It’s his version of Miss August in a swim-suit. The poster’s so detailed you can see the ball joint, the bushings, tie rod, disc brake rotor, universal joint. The tiny boxes with the arrows are unnecessary. He knows each part by name and function. I’m a book worm. I accept that. But he’s this other kind of worm, hatched in floor pans, fed on exhaust, dressed in STP. And, on his dresser, there’s this photograph of a bright red mustang circa 1965. One loving glance at it and he’s on the highway, foot to the floor, …

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December 9, 2024

“Ashes to Ashes” by Brian O’Dea

Posted by Malik White in Member Writing & Art, Writing

*Featured image courtesy of MiVargof on Pixabay* We start off strong this week with a very unique piece from Brian O’Dea. “Ashes to Ashes” is Brian’s first work on FC, and I sincerely hope he creates another great piece for us to read in the future. Ashley Fetterman When she checked ‘yes’ on the note I slid into her locker, I knew I’d finally found the feeling all the songs and movies promised. Before Christmas break, we were married behind the swing sets in sacred preteen ritual before our teary eyed classmates. Her blue eyes watered as we swore to one another to always share our snacks, to always sit by one another in assembly, and to never let a teacher, principal, or any power pry our hands apart. After just one semester of elementary…

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December 3, 2024

Three Poems by Roger Singer

Posted by Malik White in Writing

*Featured image courtesy of Michelle_Raponi on Pixabay* Hello FC readers! We’re coming back from the Thanksgiving holiday with three excellent poems from Roger Singer. Roger excels at writing immersive lines that really captivate the reader. Don’t just take my word for it, have a look below! MIDNIGHT DINER fogged windows low lights strangers in and out wooden booths aged vinyl cigarette stains on tables edge unmatched silverware yesterday’s coffee paper towel napkins ketchup fingerprints on the menu the waitress torn hairnet stained apron name tag upside down it’s a harbor for the lost and alone MOTEL ROOM #13 the key turned to the right the door knob to the left a strong aroma walked slowly out the door of the unkept room shattered sunlight coursed through a torn curtain the only window bandaged with black…

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