This entry is part of Getaway Reads, a weekly e-mail series curated by Stephanie Cawley that features the writing of the Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway faculty. The Imagined by Stephen Dunn If the imagined woman makes the real woman seem bare-boned, hardly existent, lacking in gracefulness and intellect and pulchritude, and if you come to realize the imagined woman can only satisfy your imagination, whereas the real woman with all her limitations can often make you feel good, how, in spite of knowing this, does the imagined ... Read More...
Getaway Reads: “The Book of Roger” by Richard K. Weems
This entry is part of Getaway Reads, a weekly e-mail series curated by Stephanie Cawley that features the writing of the Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway faculty. The Book of Roger by Richard K. Weems Of course, near this tale’s end, the Book of Roger—that narrative of third person limited omniscience—is suffering an unexpected twist, isn’t it, Roger? Thus far, the tale of hardworking, bring-home-the-bacon Roger and his darling, quiet Rhonda, who experienced loss and more than their fair share of turbulent times in their ... Read More...
Getaway Reads: “The Ripple in Your Day” & Prose by Douglas Goetsch
The Ripple in Your Day by Douglas Goetsch I’d like to pull back the hair from your face and ask how you get through the ripple in your day, the one that comes unannounced like a feral animal sitting on the lawn facing your windows—you’d think you’d be used to it by now. It stays maybe a minute, maybe an hour, and doesn’t go away until it does. Do you settle into your favorite chair with the universal remote, spend an hour in the shower, bury your head in crosswords, sleep in your clothes? Do you buy crap on eBay, Google people from your old ... Read More...
Getaway Reads: Bulldog by Paul Lisicky
Bulldog By Paul Lisicky The bulldog kept the woman alive, but the woman didn’t know that. She had other problems on her mind, such as where did she put her keys, and what was her car doing in Florida when she’d parked it in Tennessee? The bulldog got very still when the woman started shoving her fingers into bowls. He figured he could make the earth spin a little slower if he were sitting on its axis, so he’d quiet his panting. He’d look straight ahead, neither left nor right. The woman would trip on him, wince at him for being in her way, then lean down ... Read More...
A hurricane-inspired writing prompt
"...Love, if you love me, lie next to me. Be for me, like rain..." From “The Rain” by Robert Creeley Writing Prompt Drive a storm into a poem that explores a devastating romantic relationship, current or past. Requirements Begin with a line or two of pure description of Hurricane Sandy or its aftermath. Argue for or against one of Dr. Phil’s "Ten Relationship Myths." Tell a secret, tell a lie and never tell anyone which is which. Surprise yourself! Fiction Alternative Write a dialogue-driven story about a chance encounter between two ... Read More...