I’ll admit it—I’m a latecomer to FRiGG. I only discovered it about a year ago, but from the first issue I read, I was hooked. It became one of my favorite online publications. The current issue, issue 18, is just as rambunctious and memorable as the others.
I wanted to have a favorite story from this […]

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New:
Beacon Broadside
the Beacon Press blog
Beacon Broadside, a project of Beacon Press, is a forum for essays, news items, and dispatches from Beacon authors, authors who serve as advisors or friends of the house, staff and others. The blog is also a forum for discussion, with all posts open for comments by readers.
Jessica Bennett, the […]

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The Chokes by Aaron Garretson
published in Night Train
“The Chokes” starts off with the narrator’s daughter-in-law asking him why he named his son Bernard, and him telling her it was the name of his friend who died. This is what ensues:
“How did he die?” I said, stirring at the potatoes on my plate. “There was an […]

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“Gorilla gorilla gorilla” by Melanie Datz
published in Night Train
“Gorilla gorilla gorilla” was my first introduction to Melanie Datz’s work, and based on her writing in this piece, I can’t wait to read more from her. She writes in an easy gait, with perfect clarity, and a freshness of perspective that’s, well, refreshing.
I have a penchant […]

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“Hand Me Down Blood” by T.J. Forrester
published in The Mississippi Review online
T.J. Forrester knows how to write compelling fiction. In each of his stories, there is truly something at stake. In this story, it’s a man’s future—his pending sobriety, the struggle with his identity, the redemption of his self. The characters Forrester chooses to write […]

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Cool Project Alert: Ballyhoo Stories’ 50 States Project
“Ballyhoo Stories is a print and online literary journal dedicated to publishing quality fiction and nonfiction from established authors and emerging literary talent. Each print issue will explore a theme. The editors look for a diverse range of approaches to those themes, with craft and imagination being at […]

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Here we are, at the end of the line, or, I should say, alphabet. This showcase features work from journals U-Z, with several letters being combined to give the “editors” a wider range from which to make their selections. Thank you to Curtis Smith, Elaine Chiew, and Cliff Garstang for joining me in this round, […]

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Portents abound! Shellie, Shelly, Stefani, and Steve. SSSS. What does that mean?? Four great reads, for sure. Five when you count my pick. And since I have an S in my last name, you can call me Spitz for this round and make it a Sweep. Happy reading!
P
Selected by Shellie Zacharia
Shellie Zacharia teaches in Florida, […]

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The P-T ABC Showcase will return on August 3rd. We interrupt this programming to welcome Guest Blogger Dennis Mahagin, who will take over from July 25th through July 31st. During his stint as GB, he will give you a dazzling Poetry Showcase, among other things. Yay, Dennis!
As for this showcase, my guest editors and I […]

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It’s round two of the ABC Showcase, and we’ve got some great writing for you to check out. First off, Antonios Maltezos gives John Colvin’s “The Candy Tree,” published by FRiGG, its second mention in the showcase. How cool is that? Two nominations! So if you still haven’t read it, head on over now and […]

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It’s special showcase summer! Today, we start off with part one of the ABC showcase.
During this series, my guest editors and I will peruse journals starting with every (or nearly every) letter of the alphabet, and make one selection that we think deserves extra mention. Some will approach this showcase knowing that they want to […]

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I hope you all have enjoyed the guest-edited showcases. They will return on June 8th. For now, however, you will have to put up with me. Many apologies. But here’s what I found that got me:
A short-short by the unreasonably talented Nadine Darling. I’m impatiently awaiting a collection from her… but in the meantime, I […]

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As I’ve been out of town, and busy with new adventures, I’m letting my five guest editors carry this edition of The Showcase. You won’t be disappointed. Among the fine selections are three short stories and two works of flash fiction. First up is a piece by the insanely talented Myfanwy Collins, which appears in […]

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For this week’s showcase, I asked five writers whom I respect to join me and serve as “guest editors” in choosing the selections. Admittedly, I borrowed this idea from the literary journal Black Warrior Review. In their recent issues, the editors of BWR each selected a guest editor, who in turn chose a writer he […]

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Flash Fiction
This was an incredibly hard selection. Truth be told, I read enough outstanding flashes over the past two weeks to get me through at least one more showcase. But I will refrain myself and save those for next time. For now, read these pieces.
“Amnesia” by Shellie Zacharia is a striking little tale of a […]

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Creative Non-Fiction
In “Spectacular Mistakes,” Wendy Rawlings explores religion and whether or not she believes in God. “Home and Away,” by Ecotone’s editor David Gessner, is technically an introductory note to Volume 2, Number 1, but it’s so brilliant, I had to include it anyway. If you’ve never encountered a kid like the one in […]

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Short Stories
The first ever Short Story Showcase leads off with “Those Who Walk During the Day” by Catherine Brady, a story about a man who traded his comfortable life for God and a director’s position at a homeless shelter, which may sound trite and full of moralizing, but Brady is a master at drawing you […]

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Flash Fiction
Wondering what happened to Picks of the Week and Poetry Week? See the announcement below.
In this week’s flash fiction showcase are four talented ladies, and one gentleman, from five unique publications. You might find the images of Erika Eckart’s “Birds” disturbing, but it’s the consequences of witnessing their inability to escape that catapults this […]

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