August 9, 2021

“Finding Progressions in Mere Lists,” by M. A. Istvan

“Finding Progressions in Mere Lists,” by M. A. Istvan

finding progressions in mere lists    when none of the facts  so integral to who you are  can be reached    absenting oneself from a situation by fainting    sitting on a wood fence for hours  in hope that a new face   will show itself to talk    failures loom larger in places where little else is around    pinching the tongue of one seizuring      the flood displacement would have been  a glorified camping vacation  had he not learned of her betrayal     feigning knowledge of facts  mentioned in an offhand tone  as if you knew them already    thoughts of suicide   to stay in the game when   mere to-do lists fail     making the position clear threatens to make it vulnerable    even the sexual organs of family  are open for dinner conversation  once…

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August 6, 2021

“The Awkward Screw” by Michael Curtis and Tim Ramaekers

“The Awkward Screw” by  Michael Curtis and Tim Ramaekers

Happy August Fictional Cafe Listeners! This week we will be covering “The Awkward Screw” by Michael Curtis and Tim Raemakers. From a Galaxy best heard through headphones comes, the adventures of The Awkward Screw! Climb aboard this Heavy-Repair vessel and get to know the four-person multi-species crew as they work their way through the Bell-Wave Galaxy. But somewhere along their path they find themselves in the midst of a quest to save the entire universe… The Awkward Screw docks with a Long-Range Asteroid Tracking satellite in a remote region of the Glove Belt to see why it’s stopped transmitting to Taka Station. CreditsWritten and Produced by Michael Curtis and Tim RamaekersMixed and edited by Michael Curtis CastAnju Jayohwen is Jack TyradesHelount Gafse is Tim RamaekersMarrk Deet is Jack TyradesTony Pale is Michael Curtis A radiation…

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August 3, 2021

Kimberly Brooks — Paintings from History

Kimberly Brooks — Paintings from History

Artist’s Statement:I work in series, diving into subjects from many different angles of observation, history, and memory. I strive for a result that descends from the clouds in my mind like lightning to the earth, to light a night sky or occasionally set a tree on fire. I painted for years in my head before I ever held a brush.  So I have therefore been painting all my life.  And as a way of speaking, it suits me.  The first time I showed my work so many years ago, I felt so exposed, I blushed.  I paint both abstract and realistically, always hovering in between, in search of something new. *** Kimberly Brooks is an American artist and author of The New Oil Painting (Chronicle Books). She is known for her portraits and landscapes in…

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July 30, 2021

“BugSplat,” A Short Story by Karen Lethlean

“BugSplat,” A Short Story by Karen Lethlean

So boring. No one her age. Already run out of books. Less to do than being at home. Sandra felt her feet get heavy in loose beach sand as she tried to dispel inertia by taking a walk. “Get out and find something you enjoy. Nature is therapeutic you know.” Why the hell did her mum think therapy was required? Strange how once upon a time she and her father wandered along these same beaches, christened these walks Morning Explorations and set the task of finding The Most Terrible Thing washed up overnight. Now Sandra stared out at water, twisting her hair or shooting an imaginary gun at squawking gulls. Couldn’t even get much of a signal on her phone. Limited people about. Not even any good waves to attract surfers. Cute blonde boys she…

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July 23, 2021

“Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers”

“Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers”

Welcome Fictional Cafe Listeners to Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers by Emily Donovan and Benjamin Kern. Donald August is a fun 5-episode comedy fiction podcast with a dash of mystery. A 12-year-old boy named Donnie and his reluctant summer nanny Lex set out to play detective in South Florida and instead stumble into a real mystery: a supernatural palm plant.  In episode one August finds a mysterious plotted plant. Donnie and Lex need to study up on the suspicious flora they saw in Uncle Rowan’s yard yesterday, but, since Donnie doesn’t want to use up his screentime, they’ll have to do things the old fashioned way. Donnie spent the morning at his “usual joint” (his Uncle Rowan’s house) – but is there a darker reason why he’s drinking Capri Sun before noon? Perhaps…

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July 20, 2021

“Incompletist,” Poetry by Tom Pennacchini

“Incompletist,” Poetry by Tom Pennacchini

Incompletist    It’s all a bit sketchy don’t you know what with the RMS and all.   Formal education and I didn’t work out but I was on my way across the country to fulfill my own peculiar  and  particular manifest destiny which at the time (at the time)? was a semi – conscious state of befuddled uncertainty laced with a lack of pragmatics that was nothing short of utter ineptitude.     (Oh essential humor I laugh to myself now at the notion of then going clear across the country to maintain my standards and my continuous quest for success in failure).    We arrived at the train station and said our goodbyes.     After you left there was a welling and a filling and at the same time a depletion of air.   I rushed outside after a constricted couple of…

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July 15, 2021

“Seal on the Run,” A Short Story by Ewa Mazierska

“Seal on the Run,” A Short Story by Ewa Mazierska

Whenever Robert and I travel to Scotland, to our house in Aberdour, we go for a walk towards Kirkcaldy, where one can see seals lying on the rocks. Sometimes we are accompanied by a friend named Scott, who spent many years in the British base in Antarctica. He entertains us describing the lives of different types of seals. What all of them have in common, however, is that they are patriarchal. Dominant male seals take possession of their territory by forcing other male seals to lie down in submission and fight with those who dare to challenge their power. Once these macho males announce themselves as winners, female seals start climbing to the beaches, waiting to be impregnated. In this way, their life in harem begins. It is a slow and passive life: waiting for…

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July 12, 2021

“A Walk in the Woods,” A Short Story by Robert Perron

“A Walk in the Woods,” A Short Story by Robert Perron

Johnny knocked at the kitchen door, side of the house, just like when he and Mike were kids. But this fall day they were thirty and Johnny wore his deputy sheriff’s uniform, olive jacket over beige shirt, a badge on his left breast. In the driveway, his Department of Corrections sedan. Mike turned the inside knob and pulled open the glass-paned wooden door. “Should I put on a pot?” he said, lips crinkling to a smirk, knowing the visit wasn’t social, certain it had to do with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Every day papers in the mail, his lawyer, her lawyer, the town, the state, the county. Now a visit from the sheriff’s department. Mike’s parents’ kitchen of faded linoleum, paneled cupboards, and fixtures from the forties centered on a square, wooden table with four chairs….

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July 10, 2021

“House of Many Ways” by Diana Wynne Jones

“House of Many Ways” by Diana Wynne Jones

Hello and welcome back, Fictional Cafe listeners! It’s time for the House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones. Since so many people enjoyed Howl’s Moving Castle, I thought it would be fun to pull up another epic from the hands of the same gifted author. Charmain Baker has led a respectable, and relaxing sheltered life. She has spent her days with her nose in a book, never learning how to do even the smallest household chores. When she suddenly ends up looking after the tiny cottage of her ill Great-Uncle William she seems happy for the adventure, but the easy task of house-sitting is complicated by the fact that Great-Uncle William is also the Royal Wizard Norland and his magical house bends space and time. Though she is supposed to clean up the mess…

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July 8, 2021

KJ Hannah Greenberg — Guest Blogger

KJ Hannah Greenberg — Guest Blogger

Bleary Eyed While Fired Up   My eyelids want to dance together. My brain would rather watch a YouTube video about New York City’s housing market or about a kid being born to a goat herder’s favorite doe than edit one more essay in the book galley spread before me. My life partner struggles to appreciate that every pass I make on my manuscript represents one less set of communications that will be needed between me and my publisher. The lone adult child, who still lives at home, offers to fill a hot water bottle for my back, to grill fish filets for our dinner, and to drag all our garbage to the curb. After spending a few minutes updating my poetry submissions log, I return to my opened file. In truth, I am grateful…

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