Here we are in the middle of March and the winds and coyotes are wailing out here in the desert. When I lived in Montreal we were all searching desperately for some sign of spring surrounded by mounds of defiled snow that had been pee’d on and blackened by exhaust fumes in March, April and many years into May. This was the time when we’d had more than our share of winter and started unraveling our scarves in anticipation of no more heinous windchills in the forecasts.

 

That being said, we are warming up rapidly with some outstanding work this issue.

 

Ben Tanzer is our featured fiction writer. His haunting story, Mass, is a memorable fictional portrayal of a day in the life of Henry Darger, the exquisite outsider artist. The interview with Ben is illuminating and I’m very excited by the work he’s involved in now.

 

James Claffey delivers three charged flash pieces, “Little Red Rooster,” “Mortification I” and “The Sally Gap,” that all deal with the hell of living with an alcoholic father.

 

Nathaniel Tower brings us three memorable flash pieces, “The Run and Its Runner,” “An Imaginary Affair” and “The Mommy Assaults.” Very different and all remarkable in their intensity.

 

Leah Rogin-Roper reels us in with her three superlative flash pieces, “Aftermath of Watermelon,” “Your Mama’s Tupperware” and “Boomin’ Granny.” I’m still laughing at the last two stories. Truly exceptional!

 

Stephen Ramey gives us his three outstanding flash, “His Father’s Nose,” “Sacred in This Light” and “Saint Peter’s Penis.” Once again, there’s no forgetting these amazing stories and so loving that last title.

 

Jennifer M. Colatosti draws us in with her exquisite short story, “We Can Start There,” which scrutinizes the roots of this family’s angst while a dueling inner dialogue is going on with the narrator.

 

I hope you enjoy all of these stories as much as I have!

Cheers to the spring!