Tag Archives: Melanie Winklosky

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Move-In Day

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

She wheeled her suitcase through the sweltering hallway, avoiding empty boxes and other parents’ eyes. She lifted the suitcase easily down the stairs, empty except for unnecessary necessities: the top sheet from the sheet set, the lamp. Things he didn’t need, never asked for, like the long goodbye she’d imagined.

Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts with her husband and dog, in what those who don’t understand call her “empty nest,” cheering on her children as they chase their dreams.

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Swimming

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

I thought I could learn to love running. Sidewalks, trails, beaches – relentless pounding felt like punishment.

Instead, I swim. Tepid pools, bracing Atlantic – calming water lifts me, holds me.

I dive deep, submerged in silence. Graceful. Weightless. Playful.

Released for a time from gravity.

Reminded for a time of connection.

Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts with her husband and dog, in what those who don’t understand call her “empty nest,” cheering on her children as they chase their dreams.

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Release

Adventure, Submissions, , , ,

The women gathered to celebrate the full moon. They meditated together, and then wrote down what they were ready to release. Around the firepit, under the moonlight, they watched their papers burn.

Earlier, her husband ridiculed her “monthly witchcraft.” His rage had become relentless.

She silently wrote down his name.

Melanie Winklosky wrote this story.

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Reach

Submissions, Touching, , ,

The old woman looked helpless.

“Can I reach something?” a teenage girl asked.

“Waffles.”

The girl smiled, reaching the waffles. Their hands brushed as she put them into the cart.

The woman blinked, suddenly tearful, struggling to remember the last time she had been touched.

Last summer. Her grandchildren’s visit.

Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts with her husband and dog, in what those who don’t understand call her “empty nest,” cheering on her children as they chase their dreams.

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Sunfish

Artistic, Submissions, Touching, , , , ,

They found a hook and line on the shore of the lake. Their daughter begged to go fishing, wading in on chunky, shaky toddler legs. They swam wide circles around her, laughing and splashing. Everyone froze when she pulled out the sunfish, shimmering in the sunlight like her golden curls.

Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts with her husband and dog, in what those who don’t understand call her “empty nest,” cheering on her children as they chase their dreams.

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Moving Day

Submissions, Touching, , ,

She pulled the door closed, trying to ignore the dirty hallway and broken railing. She closed her eyes, straining to hear her daughter, somehow a woman, settling into her first apartment. She walked gingerly down the stairs, her legs and arms aching from carrying. Her heart aching from letting go.

Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. Her work can be found in McSweeney’s, and was named a finalist in the 2023 Boston in 100 Words contest and a 2023 finalist in NYC Midnight’s Flash Fiction Challenge. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

MELANIE WINKLOSKY: Photographs

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Her children, somehow adults, took hundreds of vacation photos, posting daily. Curating an online life didn’t appeal to her.

Instead, she walked behind them, always, watching their hair, hearing their laughter, tucking the moment safely into her memory, where she could return and return when they left again in September.

Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. Her work can be found in McSweeney’s, and was named a finalist in the 2023 Boston in 100 Words contest and a 2023 finalist in NYC Midnight’s Flash Fiction Challenge. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts.