November 26, 2021

“The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders by ZBS Productions

Happy November Fictional Cafe Listeners, I know there are quite a few of you who have been looking forward to The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders by ZBS Productions. Therefore Fictional Cafe presents for your entertainment, Dreams of the Amazon, Pt. 1 and 2. Jack Flanders is an adventurer. He not only travels to different countries in search of knowledge, he also steps into other dimensions to solve strange metaphysical puzzles. All of Jack’s stories have a lightness and humor, as well as some wonderful little wisdoms scattered throughout. Jack Flanders’ adventures are often set in locations where we traveled to record the sounds; Brazil, the Amazon, India, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Belize, Costa Rica, Morocco, Montreal and New Orleans. Jack’s interest is piqued when a mysterious woman joins him at his New York restaurant table,…

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November 24, 2021

An Excerpt and News from Mbizo Chirasha

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Editor’s Note: Mbizo Chirasha is The Fictional Café’s Poet-in-Residence. We have featured his work for two years now and are closing in on the end of his term. You may have noticed that we have featured less of his work this year, which, we are sad to say, is because Mbizo has been fleeing his home in Zimbabwe and trying to find asylum in another country. Due to his criticism of African politics and corruption in his writing, he has frequently been a target of violence from his government. We have partnered with a few organizations to help him find a safe place to live and write, but he continues to meet challenges. Mbizo has recently published a new book, which we announced earlier this year. Here is an excerpt from his book, called, “Along…

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November 22, 2021

“Professor Crow,” A Short Story by Salvatore Difalco

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Things were a little hazy. I had resurfaced after an entire year. I knew it would take time to get my legs underneath me, and not enough of it had passed yet. Not by a long shot. Nevertheless there I stood, out in the world again. How much had it changed? How much had people changed? Had anything changed at all? I’d soon find out. The red floor was sticky. When I lifted my heel you could hear it. I looked around the dimly lit tavern. Sparse crowd, folks still wary, or paranoid. We might still be doomed. We were doomed. Likely somewhere in that spectrum, not forgetting our recent ineptitude and iniquities as well as our successes. Dudes reeking of ganja wheeled about the place with bleeding eyes and slobbery mouths. The bald endomorphic bouncer, in a black turtleneck with a large gold crucifix hanging between his pectorals, stood by the door keeping six on them like an elephant with…

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November 18, 2021

“Once Upon a Dog,” A Short Story by Bob Calverley

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

One day Chief Warrant Officer Walters of the 99th Assault Helicopter Company would complain that the Tet Offensive began a month early for him. But on New Year’s Day, 1968, the company’s gun platoon, known as the Headhunters, was still basking in a lull that had begun a couple of weeks before Christmas. No one had been killed or wounded. Not a single rocket or mortar had exploded in Nui Binh Base Camp. Only one helicopter had been hit by ground fire. On New Year’s, the Headhunters returned to the base camp shortly before lunch after a long-planned combat assault was called off. Then they were given a rare afternoon off. Led by Walters, the gunship pilots decided to visit a Filipino engineering battalion stationed in Nui Binh. After lunch, most of the Headhunter enlisted…

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November 15, 2021

“Heather, Ludwig and Nathaniel,” An Excerpt by Derrick R. Lafayette

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

LUDWIG I was surprised she’d read the first chapter. My tutor usually found small detours in any narrative I put forth. It reminded me of looking at a sheet through a magnifying glass, judging the components that hold it together. Inside my glasses were three strands of hair, dust, and a fingerprint, yet, I blinked away the annoyance and kept going. When I finally finished chapter two, I emailed my document to her. She unearthed a cellphone twice the size of her hand, stuck her face into the screen, and scrolled with her pinky. “Do you know what a journeyman is?” the tutor asked slyly, leaving a hum of arrogance in the question. “A nomad?” I responded, unsure. “Ah, but you do know what failure is?” “A worker or sports player who is reliable but…

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November 12, 2021

Brick Moon Fiction

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

Happy November Fictional Cafe Listeners! To start off the new month we’re posting two podcasts from Brick Moon Fiction! 89.9% by Lauren A. Forry, and The Inherited Planet by Lauren Signorino. Brick Moon asked a group of writers a while back to give the listeners a look at what they thought the future of romance and dating would be and they got some truly moving stories (remember OpenBook by Sam French?). This one from Lauren A. Forry was no exception and we are 100% confident you’ll be surprised and moved by 89.9%. Enjoy! One of the most rewarding prompts Brick Moon Fiction ever gave their writers. It was a simple one: “The black sheep of the family inherits the matriarch/patriarch’s entire estate after their passing – much to the chagrin of the siblings.” What do…

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November 8, 2021

“Orphan Smile,” The Poetry of Gopal Lahiri

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Orphan Smile How hard it is for the stars to weave a story. It breaks through the wall and chain, and then in turn, with eyes closed. Words filter into dark rooms, unnoticeably, to the tune of the evening. It is not unexpected, nor is it striped, wood pencils sketch grey and grey sky. Each strum is a haze that thins and fades, the one who sings with all the heart for a while, is now trapped in the web of memory. Each mirror reflects the orphan smile, what remains is the rising smoke of the pyres. Ancient Palms We must learn to read, to hold them ever among the corn fields of the golden year. Before our eyes, the deep unique shadows take me up…

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November 4, 2021

“24/7,” A Short Story by Sharon L. Dean

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

A fog hovers over Market Street, catching the pungent salt air. I inhale deeply as I slip the keycard into the slot and punch in the extra security code. By mid-morning, the chill of New Hampshire’s early morning spring will warm to 70 degrees. Right now I could use a jacket over my sweatshirt. Inside feels warm, though I know the temperature is set for 60 degrees. The lights on the security cameras glow. On the far wall, the clock reads 4:05. Its face and hands are large, easy to read from any part of the room even by the people who take off their glasses to exercise. All around, posters clutter the legal-pad yellow walls. Bright images of bright runners and skiers and swimmers, the swimmers posed cleverly in front of the rowing machine. The place reeks…

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October 31, 2021

Edward Michael Supranowicz — Digital Paintings

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement: I do not believe in formal artist statements. Art should speak for itself, and the artist should maintain a respectful distance and silence. I work intuitively and compulsively, probably believing that there are archetypes that are shared among us all, but amenable to being expressed in one’s own individual style. I have been doing digital paintings and drawings for the last 10 or so years. It is a good fit to my personality and nature, being able to go forward, then back, then back and forward, and not having to worry about wasted canvas. And digital work allows for sharing work with more than one person rather than just one person “owning” a painting. *** Edward Michael Supranowicz is the grandson of Irish and Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up on a small farm in Appalachia. He…

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October 29, 2021

“The Thing on the Ground Floor” by Campfire Radio Theater

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

Welcome back to the final Halloween Horror Episodes at Fictional Cafe! Presenting “The Thing on the Ground Floor,”by Campfire Radio Theater, Pt. 1 and 2. We hope that those of you listening to these frightening horror tales are enjoying yourself. And those that are easily triggered by Violence, Gore and Language DO NOT LISTEN. We will be back to our regular family-friendly podcasts starting in November, in the meantime, (those of you not of the faint of heart) please sit back for our last Spooky Story of the month! On October 31st 2019, the taping of a law enforcement reality show went terribly wrong as an unspeakable terror was unleashed on an unsuspecting film crew. We have the found footage “lost” tape of the legendary Talbert Building Incident. Warning: Contains explicit language and frightening situations….

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