December 12, 2017

“The Oddity of Jo Bobby and the Seven Doors” – A Story by Derrick R. Lafayette

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

Editor’s Note: This story is a bit longer than our usual fare, but we’re publishing it nonetheless because it’s an unusually entertaining work: a western and a mystery and even a bit of a supernatural thriller, set in the early days of America. Enjoy! “You Bobby-Jo?” “I’m Jo Bobby.” A gunshot blast rang through the wraparound porch of a colonial-style blue and white house that morning in Wormwood, Tennessee. August 9th, 1830, the hottest day Wormwood had ever seen. A gunshot blast so loud that the nearby sheriff, prune-skinned with a handlebar white mustache, woke up in his bed. The gun holster, cupping his gleaming silver pride and joy, was hanging lazily off his bedpost, adjacent to a snoring whale of a woman who wasn’t his wife. The sheriff gripped both sides of his coarse…

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December 3, 2017

Charlotte Madézo’s Paintings: Flights of Fancy

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Fine Art

Galerie ZonZon is featuring Charlotte Madézo’s paintings this month. Charlotte’s work portrays everyday scenes tinged with delightful surrealism. These paintings portray flights of fancy – or, perhaps, fantasy if you prefer – elegantly embodied by the lanky characters which give her work at once a sense of humor and poetry. Each one is like a mischievous children’s tale where the artist creates the magic that makes her paintings so special. Artist’s statement: “My luminous universe evolves between sea and garden in an incessant search for harmony and balance. Invention of an imaginary and colorful world nourished by Mediterranean stopovers where fantastic characters come alive, even surrealistic, playing on curves, reliefs and various collages. Colors, shapes and materials, treated in unexpected shortcuts, propose a world free from the constraints that we usually impose on the weight of being, jostling our…

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December 3, 2017

Natalie Rodriguez, Our Web Video Barista, is Making News in Hollywood!

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in News

With all the icky news coming out of Hollywood [and elsewhere] these days, here is a bright, shining blogsite with good news, embodied in its title: Women and Hollywood. Hop over to this link and see the story about our newest, fabulously interesting and creative, barista, Natalie Rodriguez! Today’s the last day you can help crowdfund Natalie’s forthcoming movie, “The Extraordinary Ordinary.” Take a look at the benefits – and swag – you can get by making a donation, large or small. Happy Holidays! Your Baristas

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November 20, 2017

Announcing the FC Anthology Contest WINNERS!

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in News

Your baristas are delighted to announce the winners of our contest for the first Fictional Café Anthology: Genre Fiction 1st Place: Bill McStowe, “Love What You Find” 2nd Place: Beth Roper, “Ghost of an Idea” 3rd Place: David Sharp, “Lucy’s Monster” Literary Fiction 1st Place: Mindy Windholz, “Mirabilis” 2nd Place: Jenny Cokeley, “A Daisy by Any Other Name” 3rd Place: Amy Rivers, “Death and the Glutton” Poetry 1st Place: Suman Chatterjee, “A Beautiful Mind” 2nd Place: Allison Whitbeck, “Eyes” 3rd Place: Judith Manzoni Ward, “Sunday Morning Dreamscape” First place winners will receive our beautiful new FC coffee mug. Second and third place winners will receive a FC baseball hat. All winners will be featured in our forthcoming anthology, which is scheduled for publication April 15, 2018. IMPORTANT: To receive your awards, please send an…

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November 18, 2017

Web Video: “The Bachelor: The Untold Story,” Episode 2

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Web Video

As promised, here is the second episode of “The Bachelor: The Untold Story,” a satirical take on ABC’s hit TV show, “The Bachelor.” It’s the inspiration of Amanda Knapic and Charlie Parker, video auteurs from L.A. We debuted Episode 1 as our new web video feature yesterday. If you missed Episode 1, go here. Then come back and watch Episode 2 here. (11:35) And if you enjoyed Episodes 1 and 2, you can watch all seven of ’em here. Enjoy! And please let us know how you like this new video feature.

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November 17, 2017

Introducing [drumroll] WEB VIDEO! “The Bachelor: The Untold Story,” A Parody

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Web Video

Editor’s Note: We thank Natalie Rodriguez, our Video Barista, for introducing us, and now you, to this newest addition to the Fictional Café ‘zine: video! We plan to bring you a new video each month, beginning in January, 2018. This month, we introduce a parody-satire of the world-famous show, “The Bachelor.” It’s called, “The Bachelor: The Untold Story.” We’re publishing the trailer and first two episodes today and tomorrow, but it’s a seven-part web series you can watch in its entirety on YouTube. Here’s how it came to be in the words of its creators. *** What started off as a “you know what would be funny?” conversation turned into three insane months filled with laughs, friendships, and the beginning of Charles-Manderz & Sons, a production company run by Charlie Parker and Amanda Knapic. “The…

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November 16, 2017

“The Green Sock is Good” – A Short Story by Riham Adly

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

“How can you possibly go to work wearing these?” I looked down at my feet and smiled. “What’s wrong with them?” I pretended not to notice. “You’re wearing mismatched socks and one of them is green for Heaven’s sake! That’s bad luck,” Bob, my all-knowing husband, hollered, before pointing his index finger at my feet. Must admit though, the look on his face was priceless. “I don’t have to be a neat-freak like you, and besides they’re both clean. No holes in the soles, and contrary to your belief, green brings good luck.” His frown deepened as I started laughing. I wasn’t making any sense believing mismatched socks brought good luck, but they did—this pair at least. It all started last week when I was late for work. The alarm didn’t go for some reason,…

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November 14, 2017

An Art Show from French Painter Anne-Marie Guilleman

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Guest Posts

If you just happen to be in the city of Brest, France this week, you’ll want to visit Galerie ZonZon, at 50 rue Emile Zola. You’ll be greeted by the gallery’s lovely owner, Daniele Maguet, and shown the work of Anne-Marie Guilleman hanging on the gallery walls. Although Anne-Marie’s paintings tend to depict subjects near or on the water – after all, she calls Normandy, on the northern coast of France, home – there is a je ne sais quoi about her expression, not only in the scenes but also in the people she depicts. She calls this, “marines nocturnes.” Here is a sampling. Please click on the work for a full-screen view. A St. Petersburg wharf (in the city of) Brest and beyond Brest: rue Siam trolley tracks Evening lights under…

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November 13, 2017

We Have a Winnah!

Posted by Jason Brick in News

Well, actually we have multiple winners. After trials, tribulations, and celebrations, our first fiction and poetry writing contest has reached its end. We are now busily tallying all your votes. Winners will be announced in one week, along with details about how we plan to move ahead with the 2018 Fictional Café Anthology. Thank you, everybody, for participating in and supporting the contest. It was a heck of a ride and we’re thrilled you were a part of it. As David Bowie would have said, You were all heroes, if only for one day. Stay tuned.

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November 8, 2017

Last Day to Vote! Round 2 of the Championship Playoffs

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in News

Today, Sunday, November 12, is your last chance to vote in the final Playoff Round! All voting ends at 11:59 p.m. EST tonight. Winners will be announced tomorrow, Monday, at 6:00 p.m. EST. After you’ve voted for these works, they winners of Rounds 1 and 2 will compete for the Championship. Here are the contestants and the link where you can cast your vote: Allison Whitbeck, “Eyes” vs. Judith Manzoni-Ward, “Three Poems” Melissa Campbell Leon, “Loves” vs. Amy Rivers, “Death and the Glutton” Jenny Cokeley, “A Daisy” vs. William Masters, “Siren’s Lament” Click here to begin reading and vote for your favorite stories. Fictional Cafe Contest Championships final Round Voting ends Sunday, November 12, at 11:59 p.m. Let’s all vote so we can learn who our champions are!

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