Although I’m sure they would secretly prefer the Fictional Cafe for a cup of java and creativity, Rachael and Simran have found local coffee hangouts in Paris and Bologna—and have found them interestingly different in several respects from their American counterparts. Here’s part three of their pen-palling. ** April 10 Hi Sim! Sorry for the delay—I was gone this weekend on a program trip to Venice. (If you end up visiting Italy, definitely see Venice! There are many tourists, of course, but there are also these beautiful hidden canals, one of which has this old bookstore overflowing with books—and sometimes with water.) I have similar feelings about the energy of the students in Bologna. And I too, especially since this is a university town, thought that café culture would be a big part of the city….

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Herewith, armchair travelers, for your reading pleasure is the next installment in the adventures of our European study abroad pen pals. Their discussion deepens as we see similar reactions to the large collegiate student environments of Bologna and Paris, as well as some musings on their writing [of course], art and architectures, all of which have deep, storied resonance in Europe. So, without further preluding, let’s read what Rachael and Simran wrote each other in their second exchange. ** April 3 Hi Simran, Thanks for your response! This exchange is cool—like modern pen pals. That sounds lovely writing by the Charles. Though I go to school in Maine, I’m from Boston and I’m especially missing it in the spring! I’m actually studying in Bologna, which is a university city a bit north of Florence in the…

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March 30, 2017 Dear Rachael Allen and Simran P. Gupta: First off, I’d like to introduce you to each other. Rachael, Ms. Gupta is a junior at Simmons College and has been blogging and working for FC since last October. She’s about to become a full-fledged Barista. Simran, Ms. Allen is a junior at Bowdoin College [Managing Editor Mike’s alma mater], and like you an English major. Both of you are contributors to Fictional Café, bloggers, and write for your college newspapers. AND you’re both spending a semester in Study Abroad programs, Rachael in Bologna, Italy, and Simran in Paris. We figured you’re likely to have some pretty interesting experiences, and ought to write about them for FC. So here’s a special assignment for you: Please write to each other about your European experiences. Ask each other…

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May was Shakespeare‘s merriest month, at least literarily. We have found similar joy in what we’re publishing for you this May as well. Here’s what we have for you to peruse while “sitting in a pleasant shade” this month.   May Submissions Fiction Feast on our May fiction. We’re pleased to publish an excerpt from Luke Bencie’s first novel, The Clandestine Consultant: Kings, Sheiks, Warlords, and Dictators,which was just published last month. It’s an exciting, fast-paced, true-to-life adventure of an “international consultant” who is in truth a spy, an assassin, and a dirty-deal maker of epic proportions. You won’t want to miss his story. We are also introducing a short story by Katinka Smit, an Australian author. A dark, absorbing fantasy, it’s entitled “Silver Moons.” Poetry Bonnie Amesquita returns to the Café with some new poetry. She’s…

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To celebrate entering our fifth year bringing excellent short fiction to the world, we are opening a new venue for writers: the Fictional Cafe Short Fiction Contest. Here’s how it works: Step One: Over the course of the summer, writers enter their works in one of ten categories for fiction. Entry will cost a nominal fee, to prevent us from getting spammed. FC subscribers get a discount. Step One-and-a-Half: The most-viewed story for each month from January to June, 2017, is automatically entered into the contest for free. Step Two: This fall, our readers vote on the entered stories in head-to-head, double-elimination tournament action. Step Three: We put the first and second place winners for each category into an actual print anthology made out of actual dead trees. And a Kindle edition, too. Step Four: That anthology…

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My mom recently shared this quote with me about the importance of maintaining friendships. Here at the Fictional Café, we like to pass these lessons learned on to our readers. Whether you’re a literary community like ours or an individual in the creative arts, connecting with others opens so many doors and opportunities. Life is all about relationships, and we hope you will enjoy yours with us and encourage others to join us! This month, a good friend introduced us to a new community. We’d like to welcome our readers and members from GrubStreet, a Boston-based non-profit that provides resources to writers of all levels, including workshops, seminars and networking events. Please check them out. In the spirit of the quotation above, we will be featuring work from both new members and long-time members this month. Before…

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