January 2, 2019
Coffins for Kids!
The gunman didn’t like redheads. The gunman didn’t like redheads, OK, but he liked, I don’t know, what? Blasting the brains of seven-year-olds across a wall map of the United […]
January 2, 2019
Superheroes
I looked closely at the tapes, and it was a fact — every one of El Santo’s speaking parts in those six films was dubbed. His lips were out of synch with […]
November 1, 2018
Excommunication
When my girls beheaded our chickens, the warm blood melted holes in the snow so that we could see the dead fall grass. I hadn’t anticipated the mess or the […]
November 1, 2018
A Great Dad
Cliff pushes open the door to TGI Fridays with his body, and the cool air smacks him like a blessing. Outside, that Virginia sun, all fire hot and disrespectful, shaped […]
November 1, 2018
“Casta Diva”
From the Italian. When I came out of the elevator, Sumiko was already at the door, wearing a short, red and gold yukata. Her hair was tied back […]
November 1, 2018
The Wolf Girl of Terezia
Come closer, now, to see her. Leave the switch—your eyes will adjust. See, there, the telltale curve of her spine, the way the pink neon FOXY LADY sign on the […]
September 1, 2018
Excerpts from “The Gallows”
From the Hebrew. The Noose 1 They had both been sentenced and were due to meet their sentence by hanging. The heads of the Jewish Agency and National Council […]
September 1, 2018
The American President’s Visit
The news about the American president’s visit had just been broadcast when the balcony across the street fell off the face of the building. The railing dislodged from the wall […]
September 1, 2018
The White Spot
When I was nine, my parents went through a bitter custody battle over me. In the end, the judge decided that I should live with my mother Mondays through Saturdays […]
September 1, 2018
May It Come Easy
Then one morning, four months after James first slept with her, Damla was at his apartment. He knew immediately something was wrong. She visited only for scheduled lessons. “I am […]
July 1, 2018
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Think I heard the angels say, Follow the drinkin’ gourd. Stars in the heaven gonna show you the way, Follow the drinkin’ gourd. — Black American folk song After escaping […]
July 1, 2018
Once in a Blue Room
Later, people would blame the blue, the color blue, and though they knew a simple color could not be held responsible for something like this, they insisted on describing that […]