Tag: Short Fiction

Interviews

Interview with S.A. McNaughton

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll hear from S.A. McNaughton, author of short stories and flash fiction from Ypsilanti, Michigan. McNaughton tells us how she manages her writing schedule, lists the many benefits of participating in writing contests, and tells us about the surprising social aspect of joining a community of writers.

You work a full-time administrative job while raising a preschooler at home. How do you arrange time for writing?

A very good question! It’s not easy, and it’s one of the reasons that I’ve found short fiction competitions to be a good fit for me. Many of them take place over weekends, and my very supportive husband is very good about giving me time to write.

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Story Reviews

Homemade. Commentary on Vicki Wilson’s “Jelly”

Pauline Shen

“[T]his was my first time making strawberry jelly,” says our narrator-protagonist. And the measurements need to be just right. Vicki Wilson’s “Jelly” opens with emphasis on deliberate and careful measurement. But as we’ll soon discover, there’s more at stake than making a common spread for toast. “If the jelly set, it was a sign that my mom wasn’t mad at me.” This recipe and its progress from harvested ingredients to set jelly is the metaphorical vehicle by which the reader is transported through generations in this family—past, present, and… future.

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Story Reviews

Following the Crowd. Commentary on Lisa Shimotakahara’s “The Year of 13”

Pauline Shen

When you’re a self-conscious teenager and the world seems poised against you, what’s the most expedient way to become “cool?” Turn the heat on someone else, of course. Don’t stand out—join the crowd. In “The Year of 13,” Lisa Shimotakahara’s protagonist narrator does just that. It’s a two-step method, though, as we’ll discover.

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Story Reviews

New Perspective. Commentary on Elana Shira Segal’s “Ole”

Pauline Shen

Where do we find meaning? Is it contained in the objects we keep? Or perhaps it appears in the repeated rituals of our lives. Maybe it’s buried with the memory of a person. Or, well, isn’t it in the nature of the relationship with that person instead? In her short fiction, “Ole,” writer Elana Shira Segal explores these questions and more. Perhaps there’s no secret at all—we’ve known the truth all along. We just need a reminder from an unexpected source.

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Story Reviews

What you seek… Commentary on Allison Kelly’s “Exit”

Pauline Shen

Meet Sunday, a woman who seems to have her life in order. Or perhaps there’s too much order. “To outsiders, her life seemed golden. On the inside, though, she was feeling more and more like one of those insects preserved in warm yellow amber and hung on museum walls…” and so Sunday embarks on a search for meaning, for contact, for something—anything.

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Interviews

Interview with Alyssa Bushell

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Alyssa Bushell, mystery novel author, blogger, and baker. Alyssa is a Canadian writer located at Lake Huron in Southern Ontario. In this interview, Alyssa shares an overview of her story writing process, publication history, and some advice for fellow aspiring writers.

Your fiction has been published in journals such as Reckon Review and LEON Literary Review. How long did it take before you started receiving acceptance letters for your work? And has publication changed how you view your own writing?

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Story Reviews

Desensitization. Commentary on Deron Eckert’s “The Spaceman”

Pauline Shen

How to tell an audience about a horrific encounter? Do it with a nonchalant-style narrative that drops details before the reader like loose change. In Deron Eckert’s “The Spaceman,” the first-person narrative does just that, “Everyone makes a big to-do about me, like I’m in shock or something…” With such a light touch on a heavy subject, Eckert draws the scene out to its fullest capacity, pulling the reader in without hesitation.

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Story Reviews

Home is a Lifetime Away. Commentary on Taylor Thornburg’s “Come On, Come On, Come On”

Pauline Shen

Meet Jonah, an elderly man who decides to take a stroll, sit on a park bench, and then make his way home. But what is home, anyways? Is it something clearly defined? How do you know when you’ve recognized it? In Taylor Thornburg’s “Come On, Come On, Come On,” when is the key word indeed. Jonah searches, “…in the windows. They reflected an unfamiliar figure. Jonah had white hair and a crooked posture. His reflection had thick brown hair and stood upright. Bewildered, Jonah did not notice his reflection.” Juxtaposition signals a tangle of memories that flood Jonah’s mind and pull the reader’s attention in multiple directions.

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Story Reviews

Wretched Creature. Commentary on Jennifer Milne’s “Gravy Boat Genie”

Pauline Shen

Writing a story that revolves around an unlikable, nay despicable, protagonist is a bold move. The classic example is Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” However, that protagonist resolves to change by seeing the error of his ways. In Jennifer Milne’s “Gravy Boat Genie,” our protagonist, who serves as narrator, obtains absolution by a different means.

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Story Reviews

Home is Where the Heart is. Commentary on Abigail Oswald’s “Camp for Sad Girls”

Pauline Shen

It’s that overpowering, unshakable feeling that disrupts any possible elation. Even when you’re in the brightest, most sensory-stimulating, and enriching place, homesickness sets in. Oh, summer camp. How we hate to love you. But we all do.

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