It’s time to get happy, folks. Let our one-hundredth issue put a smile on your face, a bluebird on your shoulder, and a sunbeam on your butt.
We’ve got poetry from Matthew Byrne and C. G. Thompson; fiction from John Gabriel Adkins, Carolyn A. Drake, Kimberly Kaufman, and Elliott Zee; and cover art from Kerry Cole–all on the theme of Happy Endings.
If you’re still nursing a green beer hangover and/or battling a leprechaun infestation, we can help (or at least provide a welcome distraction). Please note the recommended tea pairings for the pieces in our ninety-ninth issue, each of which possesses a lovely, quiet oddness and is perfect for reading to your cat.
Poem – “The Stenographer,” by Alec Hershman: jasmine green tea
Flash fiction – “Puffer,” by Bruce Shields: Lapsang Souchong
Poem – “The Lady of the House,” by Daniel Galef: Lady Grey
Flash fiction – “Strange Affliction,” by Rob Tyler: chamomile
Cover art – “Welcome to the Surreal,” by Ava Wadleigh: orange pekoe
February is like a polar bear hug—it’s uncomfortably cold and you’re worried it might be getting ready to kill you. Our ninety-eighth issue is here to keep you company. Let Neal Lipschutz take you on a contemplative “Last Bus Ride.” Ponder the mysterious “Man in Front of Our House” with Robert Sharp. Have a sensuous encounter with Hannah V. Warren’s “Beautiful Mite” and relearn Classical philosophy with Frances Klein’s “Socrates the Frog.” Discover a rose is a rose is a samurai courtesy of Stefan Keller.
And don’t worry about that rumbling sound. That’s just how polar bears purr.
Enjoy February’s firm yet supple tight embrace online or download the .pdf.