March 1, 2023

“A Little Space for Happiness” by Michael Larrain

Poetry lives on in the soul I know this sentence, which I wrote here in 2014 when I first met Michael Larrain “selling blissed-out flowers from the back of his Jeep about two blocks east of downtown Cotati (California), sounds a lot like the first sentence in James Crumley’s finest novel, The Last Good Kiss. Which may or may not be coincidentally set in nearby Sonoma (California). It could also be something evocative about The Land that is Sonoma County. I don’t know. But you might want to find the time to read Crumly’s novel and endulge yourself in that first sentence. But before you do, please read (and comment on) this magnificent poem by our featured poet today. Another of his poems appears here in a week’s time. A Little Space for Happiness Between…

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February 26, 2023

“His Name’s Not Ben”

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Writing

A Mystery by Paul Perilli It often feels like we’re living in an age of identity obfuscation. People choose alias, noms de plume, stage names, nicknames . . . sometimes it must be hard to remember exactly who you are. Or, in the case of Ben, whom this story is about, how you ever got yourself into such a mess that you had to change your name and . . .. But let’s let author Paul Perilli open the creaking door to tell us Ben’s story. ** THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CHANGE as often as the seasons. Each year businesses come and go. For the most part their opening and closing have little effect on me. The Mexican restaurant on Manhattan Ave. I ordered from once or twice a year is now an empty…

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February 26, 2023

“Chocolates From Majorca” By Ewa Mazierska

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Writing

The British, for as long as anyone cares to remember, have loved vacationing on the island of Majorca, one of four Spanish isles in the Mediterranean Sea. The history of making marvelous chocolates in Spain dates back to the days of Christopher Columbus. Today’s story is about thoughtfulness, and perhaps an absence thereof . . . (Featured Image courtesy of Spanish Abores.com) ** It took Robert almost five hours to travel from his house on the outskirts of Dunfermline to his old house in Lancashire. By the time he reached the house, he was exhausted and in a bad mood, not least because his favourite restaurant, where he used to have brunch, was closed due to a broken pipe. He felt that Justine, his ex-wife, would immediately sense his bad mood and react with her…

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February 17, 2023

Max Orkis’s Stunning Poetic Visions

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Writing

Eight poems you won’t soon forget. Poems you’ll want to read again and again. Each reading reveals new layers, depths, insights, poetic visions, and an overwhelming desire to understand the heart and the mind of a true poet. Missing Fold, collapse, telescope. How piercing glows a ray — if The star rolls round once every so many Forevers while night falls daily? So cold to hope, In an ice age, for global warming As streams  Grow stiff, Like a bay leaf, Harden, Fossilize, like a trope, Like the uncanny Flower that buds more  Slowly than  Death blooms — so, grow wild, bow, garden. How real are dreams If even after brainstorming One can hardly recall one or  Forget disbelief Again? ~ ~ Divine Dream I often wonder why my dreams so seldom Remember me in…

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February 14, 2023

“Kaleidoscope: Dark Tales” by Derrick R. Lafayette

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Book Reviews, Writing

Just Published: A Provocative Short Story Collection by Our Own Writer-in-Residence It’s Valentine’s Day and Publication Day for Kaleidoscope: Dark Tales, Derrick R. Lafayette’s newest book. AND we’re excited to anounce Kaleidoscope as our first Fictional Café Press book of 2023. Derrick is a prolific writer who was our Fiction Writer-in-Residence for 2021-2022. He’s had several works published here at the Café, which you can read here. (Several are included in his collection but others are exclusive FC publications.) As the French author Marcel Proust once remarked, the mind evokes endlessly changing thought patterns, much like a kaleidoscope. And so reading Derrick R. Lafayette’s Kaleidoscope: Dark Tales, a genuinely extraordinary collection of five short stories and a novella, is like seeing the world anew through bits of colored glass. Here’s a preview. What if . ….

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The Fictional Café

1 week ago

Fresh Java! "Counterbalance" by Blighthouse Studio - is.gd/3B7zIV ... See MoreSee Less

"Counterbalance" by Blighthouse Studio - The Fictional Café

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Counterbalance by Blighthouse Studio is a captivating high fantasy audio drama that immerses listeners in a world shaped by magic and danger

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The Fictional Café

2 weeks ago

Fresh Java! "Ashes to Ashes" by Brian O'Dea - is.gd/kg7T5l ... See MoreSee Less

"Ashes to Ashes" by Brian O'Dea - The Fictional Café

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We start off strong this week with a very unique piece from Brian O'Dea. "Ashes to Ashes" is Brian's first work on FC, and I sincerely hope he creates...

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The Fictional Café

3 weeks ago

Fresh Java! Three Poems by Roger Singer - is.gd/uCzytw ... See MoreSee Less

Three Poems by Roger Singer - The Fictional Café

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Hello FC readers! We're coming back from the Thanksgiving holiday with three excellent poems from Roger Singer. Roger excels at writing immersive line...

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“A Little Space for Happiness” by Michael Larrain

“His Name’s Not Ben”

“Chocolates From Majorca” By Ewa Mazierska

Max Orkis’s Stunning Poetic Visions

“Kaleidoscope: Dark Tales” by Derrick R. Lafayette

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