Unfortunately, – Winter 2022
“All That is Seen and Unseen”
“Once, when Maggie was serving Mass in fifth grade, an old man, Mr. Opalewski— whose wife had died long before— chastised a volunteer for handing him the wrong hymnal at the beginning of Mass. He was so distraught that he yelled at her in front of everyone about how he needed to sit in his pew no later than ten minutes before Mass so that his wife’s soul would be accepted into heaven.” Read it here.
Spoonie Press (now defunct) – Fall 2022
“Thriving”
“For a moment, I flashed to being 16-years-old in the back of his car by the train tracks at night, when desire was a pink gumball just out of the dispenser. I would roll it around with my tongue, feeling its curve and sucking the sugar from its skin. My enjoyment came from knowing that I could do anything I wanted to in the brief moment before I sank my teeth into its strawberry-flavored guts. ” Read it here.
Wrongdoing Magazine – Spring 2022
“Gods & Mentors”
“Worse, while she enjoyed herself during her waking hours, a series of recurring dreams about Alex Trebek kissing up her thighs as she leaned against her podium became inescapable every time she slept for more than an hour. ” Read it here (pg. 161).
The Opiate – Fall 2021
“World’s Finest Showgirls”
“Once, Ellen told her she wanted one of the women’s outfits and that she’d like to be a prostitute when she grew up. She didn’t know what a prostitute was, but she understood she should be embarrassed because of the way her grandmother turned around to smack whatever part of Ellen’s body she could reach from the driver’s seat.” Read it here.
The Opiate – Summer 2021
“Let the Air In”
“It turns out I probably can’t have kids because my uterus is heart-shaped—” “Hey, like Courtney Love! ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ is about her uterus, I think…” Read it here.
Debrah Miszak 