June is a month linked to freedom. Whether it’s the arrival of the day that school’s out for summer, the warm days perfect for sprawling out on the grass with a good book or the beginning of road trip season, June signals the end of the ties that winter and school have over us (at least in the northern hemisphere!). Our European Pen Pals can attest to the pleasure of being done (and home) for the summer too.
This month’s submissions reflect such freedom as we deviate slightly from our typical offerings. We have two novel excerpts for you, each very different yet both quite engaging and two installments each of poetry and art. Bon appétit!
Fiction
Our first excerpt is from Legends of the Treasure by Mike Squatrito, the first book in his fantasy adventure series called “The Overlords.” In this action-packed scene, a group of heroes tries to escape a maze filled with fearsome minotaurs.
The second excerpt is from Harry Noble’s Where are the Bones?, the story of what happens when a college-educated lawyer comes to live in a tiny, mostly uncivil Texas town in the days before it was even a state. His historical depictions are fascinating.
Poetry
We’re pleased to announce that Michael Larrain’s poetry graces our ‘zine again with a new work, “Indictment,” a poem about what you can – and cannot – put into a thermos. Michael’s poems always get a resounding thumbs-up from all of us baristas. We’re hoping he’ll get the rights back for his surrealistic private-eye epic so we can publish it here in all its glory.
We also present for your thoughtful provocation a unique submission by Alethea Eason: collages with thematically linked prose or poetry that represent her creative ideas in both image and word.
Art
For our second art installment, we have a curated art installment by Belle Brett. Her work in collage, watercolor and photography shows her versatility as an artist and the interconnectedness of her work across multiple media.
Podcasts
Jack didn’t get a podcast posted last month due to a holdup at Audible/Amazon [not his fault, nope, not at all.], but keep your ear tuned for a new installment this month: the first episode of “Mickie McKinney, Boy Detective,” Season 2. Tune in Saturday mornings in June for his podcast series.
All in all, a very interesting month of artistry here at the Fictional Café, made possible by the formidable creativity of our members.
Ciao!
— Your Baristas
