Brydon 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 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…
Read MoreAugust Helpling __________ Family Name Glinting with sweat and glitter from the club dance floor,a friend sits across from me at the diner and says,I’m nonbinary, but I don’t think I can call myself trans,it feels like I haven’t earned it. How I delightthen to tell the tale of the…
Read MoreDuplex for T-Boy Sex Cory Quinn __________ -after Jericho Brown In bed, I am neither man nor woman; I am bodied, bottom growth in lacegroaning against a bottom, laced-up body and a bed frame, holding you tenderly.Like a bed frame, I hold you tenderly not tentative. You taste sweet like…
Read MoreThe Best Man Lio Kammueller __________ The sky outside the windows is still dark when I stumble into the kitchen, and the air smells like rubbing alcohol and weak coffee. The high-pitched voices of Brady’s calm acoustic folk music play out loud, floating over the table where he’s scattered his…
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