Poetry: “PROCESSING” by Amanda Russell

{As in, ongoing / fluxing;As in, computing and hold please and etcetera; As in, wait 600 minutes, and the anchor we never dropped, and how carefully can a person jump out of a plane; As in, whatever you thought you saw, stand over here this time—think again / shift / mend; As in, what didn’t […]

Poetry: “An Orphanage in the Philippines” by Mary Jerzak

you haven’t cried in yearsnow is not the time to starta fire breathing down your throat and your voice falling three stories hand-sized flakes of paint shreds of paper and ashes in piles and in the airyour own empty bed on fire the night outside filled with starsyou turn to watch the flamesin the black […]

Poetry: “ESTUARY” by Alison Hicks

Released from formal education, we set out, walked until we came to the edge,made camp where river meets ocean. Determined to come only with questions, we asked, Who are you? Marked swellings and diminutionswhile we waited for an answer,cupped our hands and tasted: in places fresh, others briny. Too wide to swim across.Blue crabs climbed […]

Poetry: “Threads for a New Robe” by Rachel Landrum Crumble

I. HusbandLaughter has carried usdown this river. Now, it meanders adagio. Once young and in love,we walked these streetswhile neighbors slept, so joyfulmy heart beat in my legs:Assemble! Chasse! We thought the night was ours alone untilwe heard applausefrom a darkened window,like distant rapids. II. Letting goJade river, rushing towardschange, and the mirror gives no answers. How do […]

Poetry: “Aquarium” by S. Rogers Ellis

They made their home within a concrete sanctuary Some adapted appendages and other parts of human skin To better interface with their watery brethren One small girl I noticed had a dorsal fin Another filtered nourishment from a swim These people were the most unusual I have seen And yet to them, their world seemed […]

Prose: “A Hollingsworth Hotel” by Gretchen Troxell

“There are two individuals I’d like to report missing, Mister….” Ez glances down at the sun-weathered sign-in book. There are dozens of spills decorating the nearly moldy signatures. “Hansen, Richard Hansen, and Ms. Elizabeth Clay… Seventy-two hours ago… the Hollingsworth Hotel…. Yeah, same thing…. Okay, thanks.” She hangs up the phone before turning to me […]

Prose: “Pirates of the Willamette” by Adam Matson

They say you can’t choose your neighbors, but if you’re homeless, you basically can choose your neighbors. You can choose your neighborhood. You can live in a tent down by the river, if you want to. And that’s what Finn did. Pitched her tent in a shady nook beside the Willamette River on the edge […]

Prose: “Bridget” by Sam Curreli

I freaking love Fridays. Not because the week is over; not because I can sleep in all I want for the next two days—no. Weekends are lonely. I never know who will be around here. This includes my roommate Rebecca, who, much like my older sister, sometimes likes to pretend I don’t exist. So, I […]

Prose: “The Carrot Poopgate Affair: The Secret History of Poopgate, Carrots, and President Amar Akbar Anthony, our First US President with Multiple Personalities” by Hafeez Diwan

Was there something about the carrot, as opposed to a radish, a cucumber, or zucchini? It could easily have been a tomato had it not been for the fact that, in a moment of panic, I picked up a carrot instead of a tomato. There were plenty of tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery (celery would have […]

Poetry: “Report from Salt Lake City” by Stephen Ruffus

Once there was an ocean here with the name of an ancient body. See the markings on the stone walls and imagine its fullness. Now only a lake remains that one day shall be a vast memory. My doctor reports that tests reveal I am dry as the moon’s craters. Living where things evaporate just […]