Fiction


	It's Been a While by Kara Astrouski		Why We Write
	Lonely Painting by Monica Barrameda		Karen Wooton
	The Price You Pay by Clayton Beach
	The Tale of the Queen of Endor by Clayton Beach		We write because we must. We write because the words overwhelm us; they clamor in our souls like eager puppies enthusiastic to play. We write because our love affair with words has become obsession. Words stalk us, hiding in dark places waiting...waiting. We write for the image, the symbol, the nuance…the truth. We write because we are enthralled with language, its rhythms and cadences, its stridence and caress. Language wraps us in the indolence of a lazy southern river or pelts us relentlessly with bitter acid rain. We write because we read and read and read and know that there is so much more to say and we can say it best, or better, or at least, as well…. We write because there is no greater torment or ecstasy than turning a phrase. We write because we can paint a landscape so rich in possibility, beyond the limitation of mere paint; we load our brush with the medium of imagination and allow our words to tantalize all the senses. We write because we hear voices whispering tales—hell, sometimes screaming their stories—stories demanding, imploring their freedom…their moment in the sun. We write to unbind us from our demons, and to expiate our past. We write to clarify this moment and to energize the promise of our dreams. We write because words forever leave a mark and now you will always remember that we were here.
	Wintersong by Clayton Beach
	Mad Dogs Bite by Janet Berend
	Desert Firefly by Taen Bounthapanya Third Place Winner, Poetry
	Virtual Reality by Taen Bounthapanya
	Early morning staring at an ugly fountain by Breelyn Burns
	Ten Year Old Militia by Breelyn Burns Editor's Choice Award, Poetry
	Arrogance Unplugged by Rachel Busnardo
	Goodbye My Best Friend by Rachel Busnardo
	At a Small-Town Club by Jessica Conaway
	Red Stiletto Heels by Jessica Conaway
	Naked and Perfect T.C. Cook Second Place Winner, Poetry
	Too Far by T.C. Cook
	Someday by Jermane Cooper
	The Girl Who Wrote This Stands at 5’ 2” (on a Good Day) by Shayna Coplan
	Pontificating Drunks by Dennis Dorsey
	The Symptom by Dennis Dorsey
	Saturday Night Pick-Up by Tanya Duer
	Lost in a Moment by Jamie Dykstra
	Denizens of Brilliance by Holland Elder
	Between His Futon and the Bedroom Wall by Rachel Jones
	Getting Lost in National City Trying to Find Acapulco by Rachel Jones Angelo Carli Poetry Prize
	Having to Hide by Rachel Jones
	I Used To Take My Anger Out On Plants by Rachel Jones
	The Piano by Rachel Jones
	Words Like Clay by Rachel Jones
	Begetting Tragedy by Chris Joy
	My First Last by Chris Joy
	There's No Problem Officer by Brittney Krier
	No More Rainbows by Emit Levart
	Ernest Hemingway (My Cat): A Villanelle by Melanie Maheu
	The Small Beauties of Marriage by Melanie Maheu
	Do The Punks Still Raise Their High Pumping Fists in the Air? by Brendan Mitchell
	Love by Natalie Parker
	Three Sides of the Fence by Natalie Parker
	Watching TV While Having Sex by Jessee Pugliese
	freedom by Ruth Rice
	partner by Ruth Rice
	six weeks by Ruth Rice
	Blood by Rachelle Shull
	Fall by Jacob Triffo
	Time Served by Matt Tweedie
	Romance to Reality by Aga-Marie Wehrly
	Solicitude by Matt Whitney
	Why We Write by Karen Wooton

Why We Write

Karen Wooton