GREAT ONLINE READS FOR THE WEEKEND

GREAT ONLINE READS FOR THE WEEK

1) So I discovered Jaquira Diaz from my Kenyon Review newsletter. A new KR fellow, who had won a Pushcart Prize etc etc. And I thought, I must read something by this woman. Her resume is so impressive. I dug up Reflections In Traffic published by TriQuarterly Lit Journal, and thought aha! Now, that’s amazing. I didn’t know you could write a whole story and never use a full stop until you got to the end. But she did it. And the story worked. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. HERE’s an excerpt:

“how your car flew down the Palmetto Expressway doing ninety, your first DUI, your second, your suspended license, those last moments, your eyes your lips your hands your breath your blood alcohol more than three times the legal limit, how I thought if there is a God, how could there be a God when on the morning drive to work every day, every damn day having to see and not see and drive past the skid marks and the shattered glass and the pieces of you, of us, all over the concrete, how could there be a God when the only person who knew about me was your brother and now he doesn’t even recognize me”

2) Be careless with your wishes says A Igoni Barrett on the writing life in Nigeria I enjoy reading Igoni’s work. Perhaps, it’s the writing voice or his style. Anyway, Mr. Barrett happens to be one of my favorite Nigerian writers. His latest novel is titled Black Ass. I can’t wait to read it. In the meantime, here’s an excerpt of his The Guardian essay.

“One day eleven years ago I swallowed fear, stuck my neck into the noose of fate and swore I would swim or drown. I was 25 years old and had never held a job, never strayed far from my mother’s protection, never stopped depending on her for feeding money, pocket money, any money. Yet I ignored her entreaties to endure my final year in university, and after gathering up my beloved books and 2Pac CDs, I jumped into unknown waters to make my way as a writer. READ his essay HERE.

 

3) Stepping Out by Wayne Scheer was published by Front Porch Review. Wayne writes very beautiful short fiction, with attention-grabbing themes. No wonder most of his stories have been shortlisted for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Stepping out shows a widow in a dilemma. Here’s an excerpt

“Heaven help us but Mary has taken it into her head to fix us up. Well, to be honest, it wasn’t entirely her idea. I asked about you with, perhaps, too much curiosity. Anyway, she’s concocting a plan to invite you for dinner while neglecting to say I would be there. But I’ve decided at our age there’s no time for games. Would you like to meet for breakfast? I’ll leave my phone number, 355-7672. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll try again tomorrow evening.” Read HERE.

 

4) In A Temporary Affair, Obinna Udenwe’s latest erotica in Expound Magazine, we learn of a Professor and her student. The story starts off with a bold tone, about first impressions. The story was entertaining as it was well-written. Here’s an excerpt:

“From where they stood they could see smoke rising in the air. In the evening they would find that the students had set ablaze one of the police trucks. They would learn that three students had died, over fifteen were in the hospital receiving treatment and five police officers were killed and many injured.” READ A TEMPORARY AFFAIR HERE.

 

5) The New Year’s Eve Party by Wayne Scheer was published on The Short Break Review. It one of the best love stories ever written. It’s difficult to insert humour in a sad, love story.

“After the party, as Florence and Herb prepared for bed, he remembered her saying, “Do me a favor. When I go, find someone to tell your jokes to.”

Herb took her swollen hand in his, afraid to squeeze too hard. “You think it’ll be easy replacing you after all these years? It’ll take me at least a week.”

They laughed. Herb turned away so she wouldn’t see his eyes fill up with tears. Continue Reading HERE.

“I hope you enjoy the reads. Don’t forget to share.