The Fiction Shelf

A brave narrative poem that deals honestly with issues of fundamentalism, placing them – vitally – in a human context. The poetic voice, like the protagonist – and like his brother who we never hear – is nervous but determined. An important, modern piece of writing.

A short lyric poem that reads like a warning, grown of bitter experiences. The meter and rhyme combine to enhance the sharpness of the tight wording and punctuate the meaning.

A brief, intimate poem about a close moment shared. Sentimental and sensual, this poem revels in the tactile nature of relationships.

A rookie rock and roll journalist senses his big break when he gets granted a rare audience with a reclusive rock legend. A classy short story that is as much about getting old as it is about rock and roll.

With speech that is at once engaging and familiar, and a steady, dramatic narrative, Belldown explores long‐established family dynamics and the effect they have on external relationships. The narrative voice expresses fluently a filial struggle that often lays unsaid.

America is in depression and its small towns and working families are struggling. This story’s dialogue is local and its characters are troubled. A childhood lived in an adult world is the difficult backdrop for this engrossing period tale.

A narrative, almost didactic poem whose wandering descriptions match excellently the exotic backdrop and brooding plot.

A short image with an inconsequential end that reflects the futility of the situation. The honest talk reads like an open‐ended discussion on violence and sex. The untempered language tells effectively of an unremarkable happening in an average setting. Effective and brutal.

Childish absent‐mindedness and the lack of a reason, incomprehensible to adult ears, form the basis of this oddly‐touching and humorous short story. A quirky tale whose peculiar subject is matched with an out‐the‐ordinary narrative that remains engaging and entertaining.

A poem that revels in its disorder. A memory written as furiously as the time lived. Brief and sharp, this work is beautiful in its honesty.