You, I Said by Jennifer Pratt-Walter
“This is a place, I thought,
where words cannot bring us
safely back home.”
As If the World Might Hold Another by Allison Adair
“We approach
middle age as undiscovered country when
really it’s the same old alley, the bowling pin
that wobbles like a drunk but won’t go down.”
Toward Evening, Teton River by B.J. Buckley
“Polyglot wind: her too many voices,
her tangled tongues,
all of them sharp.”
Lake Macbride by Kathleen Maris Paltrineri
“In quietude I feel I am everywhere at once—my own body rehearsing its wintering act, too. I look up from the table to the far side of the lake to see a buck limping, his hind legs sixteenth-notes in the dry leaves. From far off, a shot sounds like an encyclopedia falling to a wooden floor and like the echo of its striking.”
I don’t know what to do for my own sons by Jessica Pierce
“One of my first shifts in the ER, I looked down the throat
of a young boy and saw a nail. The boy smiled. He coughed.
The nail quivered.”
Your Body, Still Your Body by Donna Prinzmetal
“It’s too good to last, this early sunshine in April,
this smell-of-cut-grass morning
and this body, with its mirage of infinite breaths,
its lie of immortality.”
My Mother Says She Won’t Outlive the Dog by Rebecca Brock
“My own heartbeat
neither wants or doesn’t want to live.
It just does.”
Passage by thandiwe Dee Watts-Jones
“It’s official: dementia and medication. Not unexpected. But getting the ICD code is like being pinned. Mom does not protest.
The transitions before me are not unique, I know. Yet the fact that they’re universal and part of life matters as much to me as cocktail party chitchat.
What I treasure are tiny pearls that appear in mundane surroundings, a particular moment between particular people.”
toward the south, past st ives by Livia Meneghin
“past weatherworn bluffs and farther than any bird known, the swift sleeps on the wing, leaving grief behind“ Enjoy this audio recording of “toward the south, past st ives” by Livia Meneghin from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Livia Meneghin is a current MFA candidate and writing instructor at Emerson College. She
I Tell My Dying Cat Stories About His Food by Kristine Nowak
“He half-licks at the food, turns away, or shifts, licks at himself and tears out patches of gray fur. This food was living light, green where it drank from the sunlight.” Enjoy this audio recording of “I Tell My Dying Cat Stories About his Food” by Kristine Nowak from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the
La Femme by Nicole Miyashiro
“They tried to scratch off the paint. A portrait. They tried to scratch. A woman. The paint. A woman with a long face.” This audio recording of “La Femme” by Nicole Miyashiro from Vol. 32:1 of CALYX Journal was inspired by Diane Samuels’ art piece, “Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas/Testimony Against Gertrude Stein”, 2011 (ink
Soapstone by Courtney Huse-Wika
“We didn’t hear what she couldn’t say because the prairie stitches women’s mouths shut.” Enjoy this audio recording of “Soapstone” by Courtney Huse-Wika from Vol. 31:3 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Courtney Huse-Wika teaches writing in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She believes in the art of collection: overheard quotes, bird facts, forgotten stories,
Decisions by Livia Meneghin
“consider the (curious)(strained) way she admires the hummingbirds (hovering)(swirling) above her head, and the air now saturated with (teargas)(sun)(clementines)“ Enjoy this audio recording of “Decisions” by Livia Meneghin from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Livia Meneghin is a current MFA candidate and writing instructor at Emerson College. She is the author of
What I Mean by “I Love You. Goodbye.” by Kristine Nowak
“When I imagine a life after this one, I imagine a field. And in this field, there are people running toward each other, delighted to be able to.“ Enjoy this audio recording of “What I Mean by ‘I Love You. Goodbye.’” by Kristine Nowak from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here. Kristine Nowak
Absentee Ballot by Willa Schneberg
“You are tired of pretending to be the authority on democracy when you believe all governments stink, some just smell more rank than others. As you sing the praises of the secret ballot, you pray that no one will step on newly laid land mines walking to the polling site.“ Enjoy this audio recording of
Rings of Pink, Enheduanna by Nicole Miyashiro
“revolve this landscape encased by pulverized petals the stories round the wood in areola waves” This audio recording of “Rings of Pink, Enheduanna” by Nicole Miyashiro from Vol. 32:1 of CALYX Journal was inspired by Diane Samuels’ art piece, “Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas/Testimony Against Gertrude Stein”, 2011 (ink on handmade paper, coated in pulverized
Aubade with Hot Cross Buns by Siobhan Mulligan
“Unasked, she doesn’t think to pray. Half a bun is gone before she makes time, not for a holy act, but an attentive one, attuned to the soft chew of raisins on molars” Enjoy this audio recording of “Aubade with Hot Cross Buns” by Siobhan Mulligan from Vol. 32:2 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here.
Just Nerves by Caroline M. Grant
“The dentist reassures me that my tongue looks fine, that the sensation I feel of its edge fraying against my teeth is “just nerves.” He assures me that it won’t choke off my breathing. Mostly he has answered “I don’t know” to my questions, but I trust this (I don’t have much choice.) The pain
19th Amendment Issue
The 19th Amendment centennial is coming up on August 18, 2020, which in publishing timelines is practically tomorrow. We at CALYX thought we were going to spend the centennial celebrating our progress with the first female president; we find ourselves instead looking forward to an anniversary that is much for suited to the discussion of
Between the Lines: Lynn Casteel Harper
Now that you have, hopefully, had a chance to read the full version of Family Fest, Lynn Casteel Harper’s compelling, insightful essay from the Summer 2012 edition of the CALYX Journal, please enjoy this equally thoughtful interview she did about the piece. “Family Fest” is set during a weekend-long Christian music gathering, which your narrator does
Between the Lines: Jody Joldersma
A detail photo of Jody Joldersma’s sculpture, “The Birth of the Homonucli,” is the cover of the Summer 2012 edition of the CALYX Journal. An expanded view of the sculpture is included in the full-color art section inside the issue, alongside more images of her work and the work of other women artists. She was
Between the Lines: Sara Kirschenbaum
Sara Kirschenbaum’s photograph, “Pears,” can be found in the Winter 2012 edition of CALYX Journal. Here’s what she had to say about everything from photography to feminism to food. How has your personal visual style evolved throughout the years? I had a very strong visual inheritance. Both my parents are artists and Bauhaus educated. My
Between the Lines: Rosa del Duca
Rosa del Duca’s, “The Script,” can be found in the Winter 2012 edition of the CALYX Journal. I wanted to find out more about this engaging author and how her story took its shape. Some people think that the military is not an ideal environment for fostering creativity. What was your experience in the military