Storytelling and Public Health: Q & A with Alejandro Varela

Public health and fiction share a desire to elicit reactions… both examine experiences in order to better understand human motivations and actions, as well as the systems that dictate our decision-making. Continue reading →

An Excerpt from Jill Stukenberg’s debut novel, News of the Air

In September, Black Lawrence Press will release Jill Stukenberg’s powerful, timely, and haunting debut novel, News of the Air, which won the 2021 Big Moose Prize. Continue reading →

Bloom Creative Writing: Poetry by Carol Coven Grannick

They wouldn’t let me near you,
their ring around your bedside tight
hungry wolves on a dark navy night Continue reading →

Stories of the Overlooked: An Interview with Bipin Aurora

We live not just in a culture but a world of success. All my stories deal with the “mediocre” people, who are left out. Ultimately, that may be just about all of us. Continue reading →

Younger: Uncoupling Age from Aging by Paulette Kamenecka

by Paulette Kamenecka

I came to think of myself as a traveler who’d picked up a pack of diseases through miscalculation or poor judgment—drinking the water in a place I shouldn’t have. Continue reading →

Bloom Creative Writing: Poetry by AG Compaine

Bobbi’s petticoat on a hanger
on her doorknob
bodice smooth as silk. Nobody’s looking
I strip off my shirt and pants slip it on
Continue reading →

“Gray Hair Don’t Care”: An Excerpt from Sari Botton’s And You May Find Yourself…Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo

By Sari Botton

“The blonde stripes also felt like a cosmetic lie I was no longer willing to live with; in the weeks after each application, I had the feeling I was wearing a hat, or a wig, that slid slowly off my head.” Continue reading →