The week’s best online fiction, with recommendations from FictionDaily’s editors.
humboldt waterfronts by d. at Fringe Magazine
A friend recently painted a mural near the basketball courts of a middle school downtown. The mural shows water tanks–the ones on top of buildings–launching into space. I like the mural a lot and the reason I like it is because it’s pragmatic. Though I use that word a lot to describe art, I never really knew what I meant until I saw that mural. Art is pragmatic when it enlivens the real things around us, whatever those are. The kids at that middle school probably see water towers all the time. The mural helps them imagine those towers as space ships. It loosens up the old, tired, routine image of the city and makes it playful. I smile at water towers now. This is pragmatic art: enlivening real things. But it’s not really ‘enlivening’. Life is too vague. I’m going to make up a word: it enpossibilates. Pragmatic art enpossibilates real things. It imbues them with new possibility. Anyway, all this is to say: I like d.’s writing a lot. I’ve featured him here before and I’m doing it again because it’s that good. This story here is pragmatic. Look for the real things in our culture enpossibilated: co-ops, Obama, money, the homeless, and bird feathers. And think about why d. doesn’t use the punctuation he doesn’t use. And, of course: enjoy.–David Backer
World Aflame by Yarrow Paisley in Abjective.
Yarrow Paisley’s “World Aflame” offers an apocalyptic vision of sorts, a variation on the farmer’s daughter joke and enough flesh-hungry infants to rival Eamon Hardiman’s Zombie Babies. And Paisley has skills – the piece accelerates, whirls, without ever getting away from him. I don’t think babies will ever completely take over, but then, I’ve overestimated my generation before.–Ryan Nelson
The Goddess of the Storms by Larry Buentello, Aurora Wolf
Sometimes, those old blue jeans, that fresh chocolate chip cookie or that cool glass of water is just what’s called for, just like sometimes, telling myths in the old fashion is how best to let their voices boom. Larry Buentello puts the power of simplicity and tradition in storytelling to good use in his story of rights of passage, women divine and deicide. His form reaches into the ages with its roots and so echoes with their strength. Don’t look for flourish, iconoclasm or bold voice in this piece. Just settle back with that plate of cookies, imagine this nouveau-ancient myth is being read to you by a loved one, and enjoy.–Matt Funk
THE GODDESS OF THE STORMS by Larry Buentello
http://aurorawolf.com/2011/04/the–goddess–of–the–storms/
Sometimes, those old blue jeans, that fresh chocolate chip cookie or that cool glass of water is just what’s called for, just like sometimes, telling myths in the old fashion is how best to let their voices boom. Larry Buentello, THE GODDESS OF THE STORMS author, puts the power of simplicity and tradition in storytelling to good use in his story of rights of passage, women divine and deicide. His form reaches into the ages with its roots and so echoes with their strength. Don’t look for flourish, iconoclasm or bold voice in this piece. Just settle back with that plate of cookies, imagine this nouveau-ancient myth is being read to you by a loved one, and enjoy.
–Reviewed by Matt Funk
This post may contain affiliate links.
