Labels: Amy L. Clark, Claudia Smith, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, Quick Fiction

Labels: Amy L. Clark, Claudia Smith, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, reviews

For long, mainstream literature has been strictly ruled by the Cannon. Yet in today's ever-changing world, who is to say where the artistic lies or even what art is in the first place? No doubt about it, the flash fiction genre engenders the seed that will propel the literary world into a new level where canonical standards will not be the least bit significant, especially when considering that all that matters, these days, is engaging demanding audiences and providing them with a breath of fresh air that transports them out of their quotidian duties, regardless of the way.

Indisputably gifted Claudia Smith surely knows how to weave a masterfully rendered tale that will utterly enchant alert readers with a most strikingly imaginative take on thorny issues such as childhood traumas and sixth senses and Prow is living proof of her unrivalled talent in this respect, as even the title attracts readers' attention from scratch.

Set in an indefinite place and time, this utterly abnormal, bizarre narrative provides a most detailed insight into out-of-the-ordinary Louise Hennesy's supernatural experience when she reports having been threatened with death by a male psychopath during a telephone conversation at the age of 12. Doubting about the actual occurrence of this most unfortunate event as an adult seems to reflect either a possible delusion or an attempt at putting this weird memory off her mind as the lead character in Cadwallader's Oblivious does. Yet, when her mother states she is changing her telephone number, Louise's traumatic fears are taken back to her present day, 20 years later, under the reader's watchful eye.

Clear and intense character portrayals as well as meticulous event reconstruction with a helping of witty dialogues add to the author's crowning achievement in skillfully threading a memorable, artful tapestry that undoubtedly displays Smith's unparalleled writing genius.

All in all, on providing a most grippingly engaging challenge that will leave readers wondering about Prow's true meaning, Smith compels her audience to step up and offer their own interpretations, while feeling they can contribute to the "writing" of the story. Entertaining, evocative, life-changing.

Labels: Claudia Smith, Issue 17, Universidad Nacional del Comahue

Labels: Claudia Smith, Darlin' Neal, elimae, Elizabeth Ellen, Exquisite Corpse, Night Train, Wigleaf

Issue Twenty (March 15, 2008): The Cockroach by David Barringer «» Trestle by Matt Briggs «» Worried & Wondering by Aaron Burch «» Dead Dog Rising by Kate Hill Cantrill «» Tinder by Chanel Earl «» Scrape by Utahna Faith «» Arlo's Big Head by Stefanie Freele «» Wei-Ch'i by Vanessa Gebbie «» Last Fall by Katherine Grosjean «» David Dreams of Australopithecines by Savannah Schroll Guz «» The Last Stop by Jenny Halper «» Blue by Stephanie Harrison «» Cadet by Tiff Holland «» Slam by Liesl Jobson «» Beret by Darlin' Neal «» Camp by Elizabeth Oliver «» We by Patricia Parkinson «» Seconds Are Ticking By by Nik Perring «» Brother by Sue Powers «» Carol by Sophie Rosenblum «» Elizabeth Bishop by Glenn Shaheen «» Favorites by Gail Siegel «» Blank by Michelle Tandoc-Pichereau «» Medicinal by Girija Tropp «» Interviews: David Barringer «» Matt Briggs «» Aaron Burch «» Kate Hill Cantrill «» Chanel Earl «» Utahna Faith «» Stefanie Freele «» Vanessa Gebbie «» Katherine Grosjean «» Savannah Schroll Guz «» Jenny Halper «» Stephanie Harrison «» Tiff Holland «» Liesl Jobson «» Darlin' Neal «» Elizabeth Oliver «» Patricia Parkinson «» Nik Perring «» Sue Powers «» Sophie Rosenblum «» Glenn Shaheen «» Gail Siegel «» Claudia Smith «» Michelle Tandoc-Pichereau «» Girija Tropp «» Cover Art "Male Figure" by Marty D. Ison «» Letter From the Editor

Labels: Claudia Smith, issue 20

Labels: Claudia Smith, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, reading, Rose Metal Press

Labels: Amy L. Clark, Claudia Smith, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, Rose Metal Press

The four brilliant chapbooks that make up A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness are disarmingly, unabashedly intimate collections by women who know how to tell a story and aren’t afraid to drag the unspoken out into the light of day.

A wonderful debut collection of prose poems and flash fictions, short short stories of beautiful precisions and understated passions. While the bricks with which Chinquee constructs her fictions—failed or failing relationships, childhood friendships, the intricacies of family life—are not uncommon, the architecture she creates with them is rare indeed: stories now full of light, now somber, now opening the reader’s eyes to an utterly new space.

A totally illuminating collection of stories centered around China's Cultural Revolution and its aftermath, which, as we learn, continues even today-with both sides still holding out, with "apologies forthcoming." Xujun Eberlein lived in China during that tumultuous period and now makes her home in America. This, her first story collection, is both disturbing and enthralling.

Labels: Claudia Smith, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, Kim Chinquee, Xujun Eberlin

	Issue 20 (March 15, 2008) Claudia Smith's stories have been anthologized in W.W. Norton's The New Sudden Fiction and So New Media's Consumed: Women on Excess. Her chapbook, The Sky Is a Well and Other Shorts is available from Rose Metal Press. Her work may be found at www.claudiaweb.net.
	Issue Twenty-one (June 15, 2008) SmokeLong Quarterly celebrates its fifth birthday with a special double issue. Expect the mix of familiar and new-to-you voices we've always had, with an additional helping of stories from folks to whom we'll always be indebted. Stay tuned!
	Issue 22 (September 15, 2008) Tony Romano is the author of the novel, When the World Was Young (HarperCollins) and the story collection, If You Eat, You Never Die (forthcoming from HarperCollins). He is also the coauthor of Psychology and You 3E (McGraw-Hill), a bestselling textbook, and Expository Composition: Discovering Your Voice (EMCP). He was awarded The Whetstone Prize, and his work has been supported in part by several grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. He is a two-time winner of a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project award. Both stories were produced on National Public Radio's "The Sound of Writing" series and syndicated to newspapers nationwide. One of the stories was selected as one of the Project's ten best stories. His fiction has appeared in The Chicago Tribune Magazine, VIA: Voices in Italian Americana (Purdue University), Whetstone, Sou'wester, and Bluff City. Two of his stories were nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is the producer of several spoken word CDs, Writers Week, featuring memoirist Mary Karr, poet laureate Billy Collins, Pulitzer-Prize-winning columnist Rick Bragg, poetry slam originator Marc Smith, NPR commentator Daniel Ferri, poet Naomi Shihab Nye, and many others. He gives readings of his work in the Chicago area, where he lives with his wife and three daughters.

Labels: anniversary issue, Claudia Smith, SmokeLong Quarterly, Tony Romano