31 comments to “Issue Fifteen”
31 comments to “Issue Fifteen”
  1. This was a good edition. I particularly love Kingport, Tennessee. It was compelling as well written. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Eyler’s writing.

  2. Tiffany Morse’s story, which leads off the excellent new issue,functions like a small novella in giving us the sorrows, needs, satisfactons and disappointments of a three person family of characters who seem adrift and tethered to their world with domestic needs–Henry’s mattress–and worldly ones. Superb.

    James Robison

  3. I greatly enjoyed Johanna Hardy’s short story, Papa’s Garden. I loved the parallel between Papa’s Garden and the story of Adam and Eve. It was a very modern remake and was well written. I am looking forward to reading more from Ms. Hardy.

  4. Tiffany Morse’s story establishes a real connection with the reader. Her story evokes emotions of sympathy and tenderness. It was a beautiful read! I can’t wait for her next story!

  5. Wow, Lauren. You nailed the colloquial dialogue. I’d love a series of vignettes about this little town. I bet these folks have some more stories to tell. Very Faulkner-esque.

  6. kingsport is great. i’ve read a few other things by Eyler and love her style. i’m not sure what it is, but her stories always stick with me. ice cream in a little town may always remind me of a hanging elephant..

  7. I first heard about the story of a town in Tennessee that gathered to witness the hanging of Alice the elephant about a year ago, and have been obsessed with everything I’ve read about it since then. Any depiction of this story will draw on our emotional responses to the actual hanging. Eyler’s story pushes that a step further and leaves the more difficult questions of legacy lingering with us after the long after the story ends. It is a rare feat to capture so much history and compelling imagery in such a short space. Well done.

  8. Kingsport was fantastic – wonderful dialogue and voice, and very compelling in a very small space. I look forward to seeing Ms. Eyler’s next piece.

  9. A great issue, and “Kingsport, Tennessee” was a real standout. The piece was immediately intriguing, with a quietly powerful ending. I hope to read more of Ms. Eyler’s work in the future.

  10. There are millions of word combinations out there and Lauren Eyler seems to own the ones that create an indelible picture of Kingsport, TN…its people, the day, the aftermath. The very small-townness of it all. Let’s hear more from her!
    Georgeann

  11. Kingsport really captured my interest for such a short story. The perspective gave me a sense of actually attending the event. Very well written.

  12. Lauren Eyler does a great job exploring the differing emotional reactions occurring as a result of a small town impulsive decision. Shall we glorify what has occurred or bury the event so that we do not have to remember our loss of judgement?

  13. “Body Impressions” really stuck with me. The characters came alive through Tiffany Morse’s skilled writing. I feel like I know these people. I want to read more stories like this one.

  14. The treatment and image of the hanging elephant in L. Eyler’s story is strangely haunting. The voice adds a dynamic that propels the story.

  15. I was struck with the beauty if this issue as a whole. I loved Eyler’s and Hardy’s stories best, I think. As said by others, Eyler creates a haunting story, one that speaks clearly through this powerful work. Hardy takes a different approach, almost seeming simplistic, but underneath the story of two children in their father’s garden, even underneath the allusion to the Biblical Adam and Eve, there lies a great story of whether it is a wrong doing or the denial in the aftermath that creates a bigger sin. Wonderful authors; I was very impressed and will definitely be coming back for more.

  16. I really like Johanna Hardy’s story. She wrote in a way that took me back to my childhood. I hope to read more stories like this one from her.

  17. I was very impressed that such a young writer could create the beautiful story of Papa’s garden. It is appealing to both adults and children. I am looking forward to reading more of Johanna’s stories.

  18. Tiffany Morse’s “Body Impressions” is a powerful, moving story—wonderfully structured & beautifully written. It’s filled with moments of acute & touching observation, and its cool, precise tone is often chillingly juxtaposed with those intimate moments. Watching these 3 lives orbit each other is like watching a sad, sweet, mesmerizing dance between people who are simultaneously total intimates & complete strangers. I can’t help but see part of myself in each of them, and I think that’s partly how the story wants you to feel.

  19. tiffany morse’s story has much depth and feeling there is both compassion and sadness for the family trio.
    please continue to publish her stories for us to enjoy and also learn the inner feelings, thoughts and verbalism of her characters.

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