The Midwest | JOYLAND

Five Minutes

Eric Boyd -

Her job was on Eighth Avenue, in Homestead. I hated it there, but working in Braddock, I couldn't judge. The...

A Letter

Jane Armbruster -

“Oh, Margaret. I almost forgot,” Margaret’s mother Velda Raucher said, pulling an envelope from her apron pocket with her fingertips as though she might...

I’m The Teacher Who Saved Your Life

Anna Prushinskaya -

This happened during the fall of 2009, when everywhere I went people were anxious about the financial crisis. This was in Rockford, IL, where...

The Last Hot Day

Hazel Foster -

Spread out on the beach, Izzie presses her ear to the towel. She turns over fistfuls of sand, digging her fingers deeper into the...

Jesus Rides a Nuclear Warhead into My Nightmares

Todd Summar -

The scratchy tick of a clock echoed in the dark as people squirmed in their seats. The pews creaked under ample, corn-fed buttocks. The...

Fire With Legs

Colin Fleming -

It was very frustrating to have finally managed to scale one of the walls of the inside of the noise machine only to discover...

Murder Games

Caitlin Horrocks -

Ella’s backpack sagged with flashlight and string, fruit snacks and masking tape and two forks and a bike helmet. The best part of adventures...

The Nudists

Anna Prushinskaya -

Shelly Bowman had to save her mother from the nudists. One summer day Shelly’s father informed her that Margery Bowman, who previously had been best...

Victoria

Jen Fawkes -

“This,” said Sid, holding Queen Victoria aloft, “is not your best work.” Darryl nodded. Sid wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t know. A blind man...

You Can Kiss All Of That Bye-Bye

Renee Simms -

These days, I’m inclined to think that my eccentric parents are going insane. I consider flying back home to see if this is true...