writer ~ teacher ~ editor
We all know the clichés of fictional break-ups. If you’ve ever watched a popular TV show, seen a movie, read YA or even most fiction, classic and contemporary, you know the protocol. It’s woven tight into the fabric of modern American society. I’ve recently come across several break-up scenes, and wondered why it seemed like… Continue reading
Toss a few blueberries in that mimosa and check out my short story ‘Last Blueberries of Summer’ which was published in the Labor Day issue of Citizen Brooklyn. Happy Labor Day Weekend! Barbecue smoke slips around the bleached curls of her hair as she pops another blueberry between her front teeth. Purple blood pools in… Continue reading
For a short time just after I attended my first residency of grad school, I confidently and shamelessly told people who asked that I was “a writer.” It felt wonderful to say it. The words hung in the air, the secret truth of myself finally exposed. I was fueled by the encouragement and comradeship of… Continue reading
At the university I attended, a giant, corporation-like state school in Southern California, we were always being warned about sexual predators. They lurked everywhere, on and off-campus. We female students were encouraged to carry pepper spray, never to walk anywhere alone, and haunted by late-night parking structure horror stories. Like many other others, my roommate… Continue reading
What’s the strangest place you ever discovered a story? Many of you probably clicked on a link that was recently shared around on Facebook, a moving “missed connection” short story buried in the Craigslist personals. It’s been flagged for removal now, but here are the first couple lines: I saw you on the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn… Continue reading
Behind the Words: Jeni McFarland