My Smile

By Sadie Lallier I met her for the first time in my junior year of high school. She walked into geometry class wearing a hoodie for some band I can’t recall and black leggings, her dark hair thrown haphazardly into a ponytail. She smiled at me, and I don’t remember what happened for the next thirty seconds after that. It was just that smile, her smile, playing on repeat like an old roll of film Read more…

Thanks for the Memories

By Ryn Brierley I place the soda and bag of pretzels on the counter. “That’s twenty seconds, please,” the cashier says. I drop the pack of gum I was just about to add to the pile. “Twenty seconds? It should only be ten for all of this.” “Inflation,” he says. “I don’t make the prices.” I groan. I push in the vial behind my ear, and it clicks out with a soft ping. The small Read more…

Contest Runner-up: The Greatest of the Greeks

By Zenia deHaven The Trojans believed that Achilles’ heroics were exaggerated. Many tales of demigods were thrilling. Perseus slaying the gorgon monster Medusa? Incredible! The children frequently requested a retelling of that one. The older ones loved hearing about Perseus defeating the behemoth Minotaur in Daedalus’ dark labyrinth. The stories of demigods were not new to Trojans, but the rumors of Achilles were absurd. There were whispers that he slayed his foes without looking at Read more…

The Merry-Go-Round: Queer Romance from the 1980s Onwards

By Theodore Boronkay Queer romance is a compelling example of social progress’ circularity. Instead of an incline, a hill where we become more enlightened with every step, human development is a merry-go-round where we return to a previous era after a full revolution. As Catherine, River McIntryre’s friend in the New Adult novel, Man o’ War points out, “If we could culturally lose the concept of indoor plumbing, who’s to say we won’t return to Read more…

Alumni Contest Winner: Grace Land

By Sarah Pascarella Olivia discovered her bag was gone when she got up to refill her coffee. Her crucial mistake had been to place it at her feet adjacent to the café’s busiest path, easy to grab. The seat behind hers was close enough that the thief could have simply reached behind, nonchalant, as though to scratch an itch, and grasped the top handle’s durable fabric strip. Pluck. And it was gone, she made sure Read more…