May 27, 2021

“Never Never Land,” by Michael Summerleigh

“Never Never Land,” by Michael Summerleigh

At some point in the evening he turned around and realised he was somewhere he’d never been before; that he couldn’t remember any of the people with whom he’d been in that wherever it was he thought he had been before ending up where he was. What it boiled down to was that he was alone, when at some point in the near past it had been otherwise . . . and now he was lost . . . which had not always been the case in that same shifty construct of reality he had assumed was his normal everyday life. Mostly he stayed on top of things.  What frightened him was that it was, nevertheless, familiar; that the sudden crushing weight of what-the-fuck was not new; that he had been there in the Nowhere a thousand times since the day/night/whatever when Timothy Thomas Garmin had woken up screaming because in…

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May 24, 2021

“Lux et Veritas,” Four Sonnets by Claude Clayton Smith

“Lux et Veritas,” Four Sonnets by Claude Clayton Smith

Lux et Veritas    —for Yvonne    The light from all the stars we see goes on   to other galaxies although those stars  are dead. Where on earth does it end? In non-  existent time? Does light lose speed like cars  in neutral? Is “fading light” anomalous?  Not quite. In empty space light waves maintain  their speed until they interact with us  or meet other resistance. Light does not distain  a vacuum, but glass or water ebbs its flow,  and Bose Einstein Condensate can slow it  to one mile per hour. Black holes swallow  light forever. All Nature does its bit.  So where the hell does that leave you and me?  The truth of light confounds eternally.        B & B    Let Basquiat & Banksy paint away,  no cityscape untouched, four-handed art  on walls and bridges, cement or brick—array  of Day-Glo, long-tailed rats; vandals, one part  anonymous, one not. Subversive rap  or hip-hop punk, epigrams, graffiti…

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May 21, 2021

“Wordtastic” by Steve Schneider

“Wordtastic” by Steve Schneider

Welcome readers and listeners, to a podcast that is both delightfully amusing, entertaining and educational about kids and spies and kid spies! Welcome to “Wordtastic” by Steve Schneider! Due to an evil plot that has wiped out written language and is causing spoken language to fade from memory, special agent spy kids must race against time to collect and archive known vocabulary before it is lost forever! The show provides multiple exposures to content-rich vocabulary terms in the context of a fun story of spies and espionage that features kids as the heroes and main characters. In this premiere episode of Wordtastic! we meet the teams of special agent kids and learn about “The Incident.” An energy wave, known as “The Pulse” has swept across the world and removed all written and recorded information and…

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May 18, 2021

“The Mailman,” A Short Story by Rachel Laverdiere

“The Mailman,” A Short Story by Rachel Laverdiere

You gave me quite the fright! But I did say any time, and I meant it. Yes, yes, come in, come in! Leave your boots on the mat and let me take your coat. Funny, the only person ringing my bell these days is the mailman! Highlight of my day’s the sound of the utility bills dropping through my mail slot. Doesn’t hurt that he’s got spectacular calves, if you know what I mean! All summer long, he wore his shorts uniform—weee-oooo! Just between you and me, I’ve been having fantasies ever since. Now, when the doorbell goes, I’ve gotta catch my breath before I open the door.   To be completely honest, it’s a relief you’ve popped by—I was just numbing the old brain with some Netflix, trying to keep my nose clean. I know I’ve mentioned my pledge to sobriety at our Saturday morning staff meetings, but I had a feeling I should put a bottle of white in the fridge. Every once in a while, a girl’s gotta let her hair down, right? Let’s just keep this whole Desiree’s-got-wine-chilling-in-the-fridge thing between the two of us. One teensy glass won’t send me tumbling too far from the wagon! After all, Barney’s…

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May 16, 2021

“Bette Howland” & “Barbara,” CNF by Raymond Abbott

“Bette Howland” & “Barbara,” CNF by Raymond Abbott

Photo Credit: Magic City Books Editor’s Note: We’re excited to announce two pieces of creative nonfiction by FC member and former Featured Writer, Raymond Abbott. He details two events from his career as a writer. Bette Howland, Chicago Writer  Bette Howland has been dead for more than two years.  I have had ample time to consider some of the things written about her. She received the MacArthur Award in 1984, and receiving the grant seemed to compel her to stop writing. I had heard of this kind of thing before, but I don’t know that I believe it. What slowed her down when I knew her was the pain she suffered when a man she had been seeing for a long time unexpectedly married another woman.  Bette wrote and published several books, including W3, Blue in Chicago, Things to Come…

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May 13, 2021

“My Sister,” Poems by Susan J. Wurtzburg

“My Sister,” Poems by Susan J. Wurtzburg

My Sister  My sister enacts meal provider, family clustered  around the table.  Sustenance for body and heart, hollowed   out by this year.  Muffled emptiness behind my ribs muted  by video calls.  Strands across the Pacific from my island  to her wooded home.  My sibling draws me back to Canada, closed  pine borders.   Each call a step closer, but still stranded  on a rock in the ocean.    ** The Toad  Heavy rains, another toad in the garden, poison  to my dog.  Buffo catching, my new pastime, followed  by a marsh trip.  Bye Mr. Toad. No whimsical talking character,  Wind in the Willows cute.  Instead a mammoth, warty body, with venom  sacs behind his ears.  Toad number seven in a lineage, a hopping  invading force.  Beady eyes, fire-plug body, strong jumping legs,  garden bane in Hawaii.  Islands replete with outsiders: frogs, rats, goats,  even tourists.  If the toads arrived with…

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May 10, 2021

“Demon Road,” A Short Story by Derrick R. Lafayette

“Demon Road,” A Short Story by Derrick R. Lafayette

I lived in a castle made of mud. Solid enough to make you feel caged. Light barely escaped the brown warped walls. The house had so many ancestors pass away inside, that layers of its spirit fought each other seasonally. I was doomed.  I believe it was late autumn when my stomach’s emptiness corresponded with my heart. After fifty-five days in solitude, the hunger monster devoured me. Food was to be acquired. There used to be another person to handle these things during the summer.  However, the sunlight tempted her to search for buried treasure in the cityscape. She thought there were buildings, roads, and regular life beyond the mountains, past the desert plain. All things inside the dome. I located the area map before she did and destroyed it. I thought about her wandering hopelessly every night. Helped me sleep.  The gun seemed to gain ten pounds since the last time I…

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May 8, 2021

“Rogue Tyger: Pilot” by Jabberwocky Audio Theater

“Rogue Tyger: Pilot” by Jabberwocky Audio Theater

Welcome Fictional Cafe viewers, did everyone enjoy their Cinco de Mayo? Because it’s time for Rogue Tyger : The Pilot. We have a fun 5-part series this week from Jabberwocky Audio Theater, because who’s sick of sci-fi? I’m not! 5,000 years into the future — in a corner of the galaxy where Earth is no longer known — humans and a dozen other sentient races have forged a civilization. Spacers brave the oceans of void between hundreds of worlds for power, glory, and simply to survive. This is the tale of one band of spacers and their ship: the Tyger. Jabberwocky Audio Theater invites you to join the crew of the Tyger as they search for adventure, riches, and possibly redemption. Modeled after classic cliffhangers such as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar or that one with the alien guy and the…

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May 4, 2021

“Pilgrims of Zame,” by Mbizo Chirasha Now Available!

“Pilgrims of Zame,” by Mbizo Chirasha Now Available!

Pilgrims of Zame, a collection of hybrid narratives by poet Mbizo Chirasha, is a visceral assault a of images, sounds, and evocative experiences that transport readers from the hills and mountains of Zimbabwean villages, to sordid cities filled with violence and poverty, and into the minds, hearts, and lives of an entire people. Chirasha captures the raw emotions of culture and conflict and presents them through his uniquely vibrant poetic style. Through alliterative prose and free verse poetry, Chirasha explores both the roots of his culture and its path into the future. Mbizo Chirasha is the current Poet-in-Residence at The Fictional Café and author of A Letter to the President (Zimbabwe). He has co-authored several titles including The Little Voice, Metaphors of the Rainbow, and Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi. Pilgrims of Zame may…

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May 3, 2021

Forensic Foraging Photography by William Crawford

Forensic Foraging Photography by William Crawford

Artist’s Statement: The trite, trivial and mundane are often dismissed by today’s technology driven photographers. Images shot can unlock the beauty and intrinsic value hidden in most everyday things. Thus, an old fractured glass window found on a wrecked desert shack might better be presented as a compelling image. Such a transformational presentation can be achieved by applying basic photographic techniques: framing, lighting, coloration, saturation, contrast, etc. This precise application of seminal tenets can often transform the mundane into something pleasing. This process forms the essence of Forensic Foraging. Photographers today possess a plethora of powerful technical tools. High resolution sensors, potent post processing software, and cameras with such jacked up processors that they could, in a pinch, support the governmental operations of a small city. Many camera images today all but surpass the human capacities…

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