523 posts by Jack B. Rochester

July 23, 2017

Three New Poems by John Grey

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

Editor’s Note: John Grey graced our ‘zine with his poetry last year. Here are three new poems from his pen, and in August we shall publish three more, so you can savor each one. THE WEDDING RING The rotten end to a wrecked season, footsteps bring no redemption no resurrection as wet grass on the feet merely adds to the machinery of bitterness until I come across the river whose undermining poverty is quieted by discovery of something illicit in the shore-weeds – a dead wedding ring glistening like bone – it’s been lost or tossed – why not? everything on earth finds itself in the same situation. * BRAIN MATTERS The question arises – do I really need all this? I can live in…

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July 21, 2017

The “Tiny Dreams” Podcasts, Part 3

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

Dear FC audio aficionados: Return with us now to those thrilling episodes of “Tiny Dreams” we’ve posted here the past two weeks and partake of nine [count ’em, 9!] more. In case you missed Part 1 and Part 2, click. “Tiny Dreams” were commissioned from ZBS Media as a series of short pieces for a group of radio stations, what they call “Triple A,” — commercial rock & roll radio! The challenge for the ZBS people was figuring out how to tell a story, take someone on a little adventure (or trip into dreamland), and bring them back again, and do it all in 90 seconds! The stories were inspired by the strange movies that are projected inside our brains while we’re asleep. They’re truly original in concept, and also good for a few smiles…

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July 20, 2017

Caitlin Jans: The Working Writer Interview

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Interviews

Caitlin Jans is the editor-owner of Authors Publish, a website and newsletter devoted to providing writers with sources – and resources – for publishing their work. Once a writer signs up, they receive periodic email messages with new leads for their literary aspirations. Caitlin was gracious in answering some questions from the Fictional Café editors about her work, as well as her own writing. FC: How would you describe Authors Publish? AP: We are a weekly eMagazine that publishes information for authors, including reviews of literary journals and manuscript publishers open to submissions from authors. Of course, we have changed a little over the years. We now publish eBooks and special issues that focus on just one topic, but we can still be mostly summed up in that first sentence. FC: What inspired you to…

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July 19, 2017

“Every Picture Tells A Story, Don’t It?” – Charlotte Penabel’s Collages

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Fine Art

Rod Stewart sang it best in song, and Charlotte Penabel’s Etsy collages take flight over Rod in image and words. Click on each image to enlarge it so you can read their titles. And for even more fun, listen to Rod sing the “Every Picture Tells A Story” as you enjoy Charlotte’s collages. ** Artist’s Statement I find a lot of visual appeal in pop culture, glamour, vintage Hollywood, femininity and anything glittery – but I don’t think I could create a feminine or aesthetically pleasing digital collage without emulating a subtle undertone of suffering and self loathing to the celebrity-crazed world we live in. I am fascinated, pained and enchanted by first-world culture and the effects, power and persuasion images can have on us as a mass consumed society. For every collage I create,…

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July 18, 2017

Channie Greenberg Returns With A New Story

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

The Price of Cheap By KJ Hannah Greenberg Nathan chose a cheap flight to Kobarid. Seeing the Julian Alps had long been on his bucket list. He planned to sleep the ten hours from JFK to Ataturk, to remain inconspicuous in Istanbul, and then to make friends on route to Ljubljana. With luck, he’d score a night on some local’s sofa before traveling from the capital to the mountains. Nathan believed himself sufficiently charismatic to succeed. Hearsay about Slovenian tourism suggested that a stranger’s room would be equivalent to a fee-driven guesthouse. By taking advantage of complimentary accommodations, Nathan would save enough cash to hire a guide to accompany him to the Kozjac Waterfalls and on the Alpe Adna Trail. It was foolhardy to tour remote places alone. Unfortunately, at Ataturk, instead of deboarding, Nathan’s…

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July 14, 2017

Podcast: ZBS’s “Tiny Dreams” Part 2

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

Original art by Genevieve Shapiro, http://gentoons.com/ Welcome to Week 2 of “Tiny Dreams,” very short podcast stories which will appear here at the FC every Friday evening in July. I encourage you to visit the ZBS website, where you will find a treasure trove of fun listening. More about ZBS in coming weeks. A Short Introduction to “Tiny Dreams” by Tom Lopez, ZBS Earlier this year, we were commissioned to do a series of short pieces for a group of radio stations, what they call “Triple A,” commercial rock & roll radio! And so our writer, M. Fulton, spent two days listening to one of their stations. He woke up the next morning with an idea, a series of dreams that could be inserted between songs. The one restriction he was given – the pieces had to…

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July 11, 2017

The Many Layers of Morocco: Photography by Michael Calcagno

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Fine Art

Photographer’s Note: In selecting these photos taken during a recent trip to Morocco, I focused on the many layers that exist in Morocco. Often what you see when you are wandering the streets is just the veneer, and what’s hidden behind it is surprising, simple, and profound. The photos range from the many different environments in Morocco: city, mountains, desert, but they all portray the many layers of life in Morocco. Please click on the photos to see a larger image. * * * * * * * * * ** Michael Calcagno is a freelance photo editor and photographer based in Brooklyn, where he explores the city with his camera in search of the unexpected. He loves finding the intersections of humanity and nature through photography. In selecting his photos, he strives to capture…

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July 10, 2017

“Lost Howling,” A Short Story by Christin Rice

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

They ran, the four of them, hand in hand. It was the only way they could get from this place to the next. Despair rose in the thicker woods as one became wrapped around a tree, whiplashing the group in the onslaught. But on they ran, recovering themselves, never breaking their grasp to dust off their muddy knees. The terrain was an endless, mountainous wood. Neverending. But there is nothing more determined to race home than a Howling. Howlings are almost always children, amorphous in their gender until they make a choice at age 18—if they make it to that rare age—and despite their name they very rarely howl. But when they do, you don’t want to be anywhere near. It is the sound of universes shattering and will consume your eardrums by snaking up…

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July 7, 2017

Podcast: “Tiny Dreams” from ZBS

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

We welcome a new podcast to Fictional Café which can hardly be called new. The folks at the ZBS Foundation have been producing audio/radio stories since 1970, and I’ve been listening to them since those times as well. The brave, intellectual, spiritual adventurer Jack Flanders lives in my memories. I’ve listened to many ZBS stories and turned many others onto them as well, perhaps notably my son Josh who shares my passion for audio drama. I hope you will too, beginning with a premiere taste of some new stories from ZBS: “Tiny Dreams,” very short pieces which will appear here at the FC every Friday evening in July. I encourage you to visit the ZBS website, where you will find a treasure trove of fun listening. More about ZBS in coming weeks. A Short Introduction to…

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July 6, 2017

“The Mahogany Box,” a Short Story by Karen Trappett

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

The Mahogany Box by Karen M Trappett The movement sent waves across her belly, like little fish weaving and darting amongst the piers of a jetty, pushing gently up through the layers of her woollen skirt and reaching her gloved hands resting lightly on her lap. Holding her breath through the crest, she looked down and attempted to catch a glimpse of the creature currently using her body as a gymnasium. A soft smile made the corners of her mouth crinkle, and she felt the contours of her bump. Was that a foot, or a hand? Crimson leaves glistened, moisture dripped onto her knitted hat and the shoulders of her coat. A bedraggled sparrow appeared to keenly observe her, then shivered. Hearing her little ones, she hopped to an inner branch and disappeared; thoughts of…

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