Tag Archives: goals

NATALIA PLOS: Frank

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Frank dreamed of becoming an astronaut. His mother said they eat tubes. Frank looked at the toothpaste and decided to become a cook. The kids started teasing him with a donut. Frank wrote a poem about them. It was published. Frank is writing a novel about a cook in space.

Natalia Plos is an aspiring novelist. She is passionate about creating immersive worlds and compelling characters. Natalia can’t imagine life without great coffee, chocolate, and books. She now lives with her husband and two cats in the beautiful city of Phoenix.

MARC SIMON: Aspera Ad Astra

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , ,

As soon as it’s morning light, he walks two blocks through three inches of new wet snow with a shovel in one hand and a basketball in the other. His Chuck Taylors make snow waffles. He clears off a half-court, dribbles twice, and takes a shot at a dream.

Marc Simon’s short fiction has appeared in over fifteen literary magazines. Five of his one-act plays have been winners in new works contests. His debut novel, The Leap Year Boy, was published in December 2012. His novella, According to Isaac, is now published on Amazon.com. See more at marcsimonwriter.com.

ALEXA YASMIN FERRER: Dishwasher

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , , , ,

All of her friends are engaged to men with insurance and stock portfolios. You’re next! they demand.

Alone, in places that are clean and beautiful, she outlines the novel she’d like to write. She looks at her chipped nails and the drafts in her notes. She just wants a dishwasher.

Alexa is intense, takes things personally, has never gotten over anything, and is editor of The Miami Native.

ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON: Daniela’s Resolutions

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

With a new year approaching, Daniela knew it was time to sculpt her eyebrows, change her hair color, order new glasses. Maybe join a gym.

In 2025, she’d be ready for a job interview for her dream career. Maybe in Los Angeles, perhaps Boston, even Toronto.

Nobody could stop her.

Roberta Beach Jacobson is pretty sure nobody can stop her either.

PAMELA BLOOMFIELD: Triangle Pose

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Your yoga teacher makes Triangle Pose look easy: raise your left hand, lean to the right, touch the floor. But after weeks of practice, you can barely reach your ankle.

“I just can’t get to the floor,” you sigh.

Your teacher’s unmoved. “I’ve been to the floor. There’s nothing there.”

Pamela Bloomfield is an independent consultant to governments and nonprofits. Her stories have appeared in Parhelion, Rivanna Review, Foliate Oak, Molecule, and other journals.

YASH SEYEDBAGHERI: Lost Resolve

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

The new year knocks.
He can’t get up, sorrow a blanket.
One by one, resolutions slink away. Write more, walk more, smile more.
He promises to get up the next day. The next week.
Sorrow adds another layer.
He tries to dial a number.
But he can’t even say “help.”

Yash Seyedbagheri is a graduate of Colorado State University’s MFA fiction program. His stories “Soon,” “How To Be A Good Episcopalian,” “Tales From A Communion Line,” and “Community Time” have been nominated for Pushcarts. Yash’s work has been published in SmokeLong Quarterly, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, Write City Magazine, and Ariel Chart, among others.

MK BEAN: Shaded Dreams

Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, , , , , ,

Some dreams wither under direct gaze.
To nurture them, you must avert your focus;
Set your sights to pastures beyond.

One day, you will greet your blossomed dreams
As you pad gently by at serendipitous crossings–
Appreciated, but destinations no longer.
Removed from the spotlight, they thrive in cool relief.

M. K. Beam is a software developer and roller-derby skater who loves rodents.

KAYLEIGH SHOEN: An hour into the Whale Watch I remember why we broke up the first time

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Suddenly he’s an expert on whales. Their weight, their songs…

…evolved from land animals the size of goats. And eat 5,000 pounds of fish every day. If they still lived on land…

Tuning him out, I watch the whales. Imagining all the delicacies they missed out on, settling for krill.

Kayleigh Shoen is a writer and teacher in Boston, MA. Her stories have appeared in X-R-A-Y, Milk Candy Review, [100 word story], and elsewhere. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Her tweets can be found at @Whowantssoup.

ALAN FALKINGHAM: The Over Easy Diner

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

The nighthawks down bad coffee and talk about all the chances they never took. Catherine hears without listening, counting out her tips in nickels and dimes, aching to be someplace else, where love is gentler, and the past no longer lives in the very marrow of your bones.

Alan currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, but originally hails from Leeds, England. To pay the rent, Alan writes emails all day long for a large global corporation, but for fun he prefers to create short stories and poetry and recently completed a full length mystery novel. When not writing, Alan spends his time constantly learning from his two young daughters, guzzling craft beers with his partner Gina, and following Leeds United’s latest mishaps. Learn more about Alan’s work at alanfalkingham.com.

STEPHEN GOODLAD: Table for One

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Seated at a table for one in the exam, writing lyrics instead of history, wondering how to go about my life, I tipped on two legs, fell backwards, and lay in the ruins of a perfectly good chair.

It opened my eyes. I knew what I didn’t want to do.

Stephen Goodlad wrote this story.