Without Setting Fire

by Emerson Whitney       This book is the black of a wide open mouth. There’s no other place to start, really, just agape.   I like this idea of an open mouth, lips at liberty, the reckless brush strokes of a painting, open and possible.   Here’s the opposite, category like a clenched jaw.   An endless portrayal: mirrors, ace bandages, bathrooms, doe … Continue reading Without Setting Fire

Coming Kingdom

by Jer Bryant     “Why do you want to wear those bracelets? They’re hearts. They’re not for boys.” Ms. Davis, a teacher at my elementary school, extends her hand toward my small five-year-old body. I slip off the plastic bangles, gifts from my friend Christie, and drop them on the wrinkled hand before me. Her cheeks, parts of her face that remind me of … Continue reading Coming Kingdom