Nick Stokes 6/5/22 Nick Stokes 6/5/22

Adjust by Nick Stokes

Drink coffee. Pack food, gear, shingles, propane, feed, a mattress, rebar, a box of cookies and whiskey, mail, nails. Drink coffee. Bullshit. Wrap. Eat a ham-and-cheese sandwich. Feed. Fix tack, build ropes, bullshit. Knock a rock from a shoe. Dunk in the river. Long. Drink beer. Eat. Read. Stop.

Lornas McGinnis 6/5/22 Lornas McGinnis 6/5/22

A Touch of Shade by Lorna McGinnis

Clouds cast shadows like hawk’s wings,

Breathing down my neck when the wind turns cold.

The gloom elongates, stretching up the brick walls,

Dimming them so their flushed redness fades to gray.

Tiffany Aldrich MacBain 6/5/22 Tiffany Aldrich MacBain 6/5/22

A Haunting by Tiffany Aldrich MacBain

Beyond the golden years of trick-or-treating, Halloween morphs into a high-pressure holiday, like New Year’s Eve or the 4th of July, when you feel like you must have plans or else endure a long night of loneliness and self-loathing, a night pierced by the cackling laughter of fun-havers outside your window, a night most unhallowed. If you happen to have plans, your suffering is of another sort: weeks in advance of the party, you have to figure out what you’re going to “be.” And then you must buy and assemble components of a costume, and then you have to wear it all.

Gregg Sapp 5/16/22 Gregg Sapp 5/16/22

Knock Knock by Gregg Sapp

Sick of waiting patiently and tired of being taken for granted, Molly decided that when Leon finally showed up, she was going to ream him a brand new one. She was beyond fed up with his lame excuses, followed by dubious promises to do better and cloying declarations of his love for her. Lately, she saw more of him on Instagram and YouTube than she did at home, in the flesh with her.

John Maki 5/16/22 John Maki 5/16/22

The Yellow House by John Maki

Coming from apartments, the yellow house felt huge. The left split descended into a kitchen, dining room, and roughed-in area with plenty of room to play. The right ascended to the living room, bathroom, bedrooms, and a deck overlooking a lumpy dirt yard. The middle landing opened onto a small garage that would hold everything male: cars, bikes, lawn equipment, and later my father’s grief.

Cherie Lynae Suski 5/16/22 Cherie Lynae Suski 5/16/22

Frank Does Not Fall by Cherie Lynae Suski

An Angel arrives on Frank’s back porch, but this Vietnam Vet and Tacoma native isn't easily impressed. When Frank asks the Angel why he’s there, the answer is: your son “didn't want you to answer that door by yourself.” The doorbell rings and Frank is faced with news he never expected to receive.

Erik Carlsen 4/27/22 Erik Carlsen 4/27/22

Advice From My Father by Erik Carlsen

Only paint when the weather is just like this,

Don’t bother remembering their names because

They will always tell you, everything in your hands

Is a hammer, no part of any animal should go to waste

Jonny Eberle 4/27/22 Jonny Eberle 4/27/22

Victorious by Jonny Eberle

“Victorious,” was written in response to Steve LaBerge’s installation, “Touching Down in Tacoma,” on display at the Pantages Theatre as part of the 2nd annual Tacoma Light Trail. Learn more about the artists and the project at www.tacomalighttrail.org

CC Message in a Bottle 4/11/22 CC Message in a Bottle 4/11/22

“Evergreen”

We asked our writers to send us short pieces on a simple word: EVERGREEN. Perhaps you think first of The Evergreen State, or a color that evokes a memory in vivid detail. Maybe your mind settles on that which is timeless. Here are a few of the pieces we received… maybe you’ll find one in the wild.

Layla Ormbrek 4/3/22 Layla Ormbrek 4/3/22

Good Intentions by Layla Ormbrek

You could say that I frequented the cemetery. Its green, manicured stillness steadied me, and I made it a regular stop. It was the perfect place to wander around during lock-down, being the only outdoor space that was never crowded.

Bill Fay 12/20/21 Bill Fay 12/20/21

A Glorious Darkness by Bill Fay

color pots of fairies
spilled
at November’s end
toward the certainty
of winter
ochre of oak leaves
rattling the teeth
of the breeze
exhales
farms and forests

Trevor Williams 12/20/21 Trevor Williams 12/20/21

An Act of Arson by Trevor Williams

The air

creates sparks from friction

with the earth.

The salt in our sweat

transmutates into nitroglycerin

while we lay on a funeral pyre

piled up against a red dawn backdrop.

Richard Wilkinson 11/16/21 Richard Wilkinson 11/16/21

From the Earth to the Moon by Richard Wilkinson

Heather Pilder Olson 11/16/21 Heather Pilder Olson 11/16/21

Aftermath

Earth tilts on its axis.

Disease takes away life.

We’re still here, we are trying

to rebound after strife.

Katrinka Mannelly 11/16/21 Katrinka Mannelly 11/16/21

The Rarest Kind of Mermaid by Katrinka Mannelly

“I think she’s the one, Dad. Please try to be open minded, okay?”

“I’ll try, Dawson, but you’re not making it easy, insisting I meet her out by the swimming pool.”

“I told you, she’ll be more comfortable this way. She’s nervous about meeting you.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make more sense to meet over dinner at Joe’s? Or grab a cup of coffee somewhere? Or a drink, even?

Tyrean Martinson 6/21/21 Tyrean Martinson 6/21/21

Two Skinny Poems by Tyrean Martinson

Shift

After eight attempts, the poem begins to
Shift
Weight.
Words
Considered
Shift
Places,
Refract,
Distort.
Shift
To the poem begins after eight attempts.

Published Stories