Letter from the Guest Editor Taryn White __________ Sometime in January, Lynn asked me if I wanted to guest edit one last issue of Boudin as the managing editor. At that time, I was trying to complete my thesis, acclimate to a new job, prepare to defend my thesis, juggle…
Read MoreBrydon Caldwell __________ Trapped It was one of the last times that I saw my mother truly irate. Standing in the middle of the driveway, wrapped in her blue terry housecoat, in full volume against the animal control officer. She’d forgone her wig, so lonely wisps of hair clung to…
Read MoreThe South Rim Ashley Graegin __________ On the mantle sat a framed photograph: my family and I standing on tri-colored sedimentary rock, behind us, an endless landscape of canyons. Well, most of us were standing. Reese sat on a layer of rock, and my other sisters leaned in so that…
Read MoreComing Out Kale Hensley __________ __________ Kale Hensley is a poet and visual artist from West Virginia. Their writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, Booth, Evergreen Review, Image, and Sonora Review. They were selected by Adele Elise Williams as the recipient of the 2026 Elmer Kelton Prize for Poetry and…
Read MoreLetter from the Editor Vallie Lynn Watson __________ Boudin‘s 2026 Pride issue received our third highest amount of submissions ever, and over three times as many submissions as we received for last year’s Pride issue! Our numbers tell me that our Pride issue is not just important, but needed. Pride…
Read MoreAnsley Donald Patten __________ Artist Statement: “I attend weekly figure drawing sessions at Waterfall Arts in Belfast, Maine. It is a community art center where models pose for 150 minutes so artists can draw them. I have attended these sessions for the past 3 years to regularly practice and improve…
Read MoreLetter from the Guest Editor Robbie Hess __________ Happy 2026 Pride, y’all! I am so excited for everyone to see this wonderful Pride issue we have curated this year. It has been such an honor for me to read through all the incredible submissions we received. This year, we tripled…
Read MoreSo You’re Staying with Her? Matthew McCain __________ __________ Matthew McCain is an author and fine artist with 3 of his novels reaching the top #10 on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. His fine art paintings can be found all around the world from Las Vegas with Bar Rescue’s Jon Tafer, Alice…
Read MoreHer Treat Antonia Cardinale __________ Through a series of unfortunate events- that if to be written down would take up an entire novel- I manage to find myself shopping for a Catholic school-appropriate dress to wear to my senior prom. The absolute last thing I wanted to do this weekend…
Read MoreAt the District Hotel Jay Paine __________ We upgraded to the theme, the expectation: superheroes, sex swings, so when the door swung open we were less than thrilled, our room a less-than-private locker room fantasy. Nine helmets lined the bench. It’s dangerous to smash past all four bases all at once but we…
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