The Midwest | JOYLAND

The First Taste

Jo Barchi -

It’s the fall of 2013 and I just found out I’m a faggot. Henry isn’t supposed to be a part of...

The Boys

Scott Fenton -

The other boys, pulling off their cherry red swimsuits—Luis lingered in the locker room, watching them. Wade’s Adam’s apple bulged in his throat. Fresh...

The Mongrels

Sean Gill -

A half-mile from the Canadian border I said, what are you going to do in Montreal, you idiot—panhandle? You don't speak French. What'll be different there?...

Critical Phenomena

Joshua Roebke -

I was doubled over with my hands on my knees and I was panting, just after I had been fouled, when a man strode...

Signs

Elizabeth Ellen -

Greg moved out last month. It was his thirty-seventh birthday. Or his thirty-eighth. I don’t remember. What I do remember is a knock a the...

Boketto

Michelle Hart -

George was rich. He was an investment banker, which Caroline hadn’t known was a real job performed by real people. It was something men...

Stand by to Disembark

Vanessa Blakeslee -

The day after a few of the ship’s factory workers pulled a joke on him, Crazy Paul flipped out and beat up a table...

Seagull

Bryan Hurt -

This story, which initially appeared in Denver Quarterly, is an excerpt from Joyland Midwest editor, Bryan Hurt's story collection, EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AMBASSADOR...

Biohack

Tessa Yang -

The first of her mother’s models that Cami tried to sleep with told her she was too young. He would turn out to be...

A Few Words on the Lack of Donuts

Stephan Eirik Clark -

Dear Class, You have no doubt noticed by now that there are no donuts on the workshop table. This being the last class of the...