November 2020

  Evie knew this about the westernmost of the Great Lakes in winter. When the winds blew out of the north-northeast, Lake Superior’s ice surged up against the South Shore until it snapped with a crack like the opening of hell’s gate. The ice shoves, as newcomers to the region …

  Susie skidded to a stop for a fourth time, her rubber-soled flats smudging black streaks on the grocery store’s waxed linoleum floor. She darted left, caught a glimpse of him shuffling past the opposite end of the ice cream aisle. Her mouthed flopped open to suck more air. A …

  It all started at Humberto’s food truck on 13th street. The whole crew was there—Antoine, Tink, Shanks, and myself—enjoying the cheap cuisineat a picnic table beside the truck. Three of us were eating fish tacos, but big old Shanks was digging into a large bowl of Humberto’s chili con …

  Bright sunlight reflecting off the glass front of his local DMV partly blinded Howard as he shuffled toward its entrance past cars across an over-crowded parking lot. Howard pressed a faded blue button causing the ill-fitted door to scrape across its threshold under the power of an automatic opener. …

  The worst day for a wedding. Alexander stared out his bedroom window and watched guests dressed in tuxedos and gowns take their seats in chairs arranged on the lawn in front of the altar. A hundred friends and family all waited for the big moment. Alexander and Julie’s wedding …

  The jagged cliffs of Vasquez Rocks were a row of lazy needles that leaned against the clear desert sky. The ’75 Chevy Nova Super Sport churned up gravel and dust as it drove up, and then came to a stop. The drivers’ door opened and a tall, powerfully built …