A Literary Magazine Sponsored by The University of Maine at Farmington
Every summer, UMF hosts the Longfellow Writer’s Camp. Editor Anabelle hosted a contest for the students. The following excerpt comes from the winning piece, Oliver C.D., a profound short story … Continue Reading An Excerpt from “Oliver C.D.” by Shayla DiRico
By Madison Brown I stare at golden treetops as the sun sinks slowly. Trees are strengthened by the decades they’ve lived. It makes me feel so young, so small. Like … Continue Reading Gold
By Anabelle Taff the cherry-blossom ocean backwash laps the hump of my chin,splatters over my rose lips. saltwater has never tasted so delicious.i smile at the authoritative sun and tiny, … Continue Reading ode to (pleasantly) drowning in a pink tidepool on world poetry day
by Sam Roberts WINNER OF THE RIVER’S FALL 2025 HALLOWEEN BODY HORROR CONTEST Every night before sleep, the housewife kneels at the foot of the bed and prays for a … Continue Reading Hanged by Clothesline
by Anabelle Taff RUNNER-UP OF THE RIVER’S FALL 2025 HALLOWEEN BODY HORROR CONTEST Vivian, one of the paper girls on paper route number six, knicks one tan American Spirit from … Continue Reading Vivian, Beneath
Anabelle Taff RUNNER UP OF THE RIVER’S SPRING 2025 FLASH FICTION CONTEST “It has no value, sweetheart. Find something pretty,” Mom insists.Under the waves, it is shining up at me, … Continue Reading Sea Glass
Kylee Walton RUNNER UP OF THE RIVER’S SPRING 2025 FLASH FICTION CONTEST By Author From what I have gathered, Wednesdays do not produce good art. More often than not on … Continue Reading Wednesday Cat Hunt
By Zac Holt WINNER OF THE RIVER’S SPRING 2025 FLASH FICTION CONTEST As I walked through the wide open desert, the blue skies grew dark with black clouds. There wasno … Continue Reading Of the Desert and my Soul
Trigger Warnings: Mentions of miscarriage, suicide, murder, and slight gore —- “You never told me your name,” the woman says. She smiles, just like my late wife. She licks her lips. Her dark cherry lipstick shines in the pale moonlight.
“I’m not sure why you need to know my name,” I say, fiddling with the black lighter in my hand. “We’re not friends.”
“Really?” the woman asks. She drops her finished cigarette and puts it out before she digs her heel into my sneaker. I wince.
CALLA SALLOW lays in a mangled nest of sheets. The room is tiny and there are articles of underclothes strewn about, all well-worn hand-me-downs. Light streams in from a tiny window on the far wall, illuminating Calla’s rat’s nest of blonde hair. She rolls over and groans when she hears the voice of her boss, MRS. DELANEY, call from down the stairs.
Skink By Wilson Krause Did you know that lizards of the family Scincidae have developed a process during reproduction that is analogous to the mammalian placenta? Not for a live … Continue Reading CONTEST HONORABLE MENTION: “Skink” by Wilson Krause
Spinning By Rowan Fitzgerald A sudden release of tension discomposed his very soul. He began spinning at a dizzying rate. Each rotation gave him a contrasting but fleeting view of … Continue Reading CONTEST WINNER: “Spinning” by Rowan Fitzgerald
We at The River are excited to announce an upcoming Flash Fiction contest! Genre fiction is near and dear to us, and so we want to take this opportunity to … Continue Reading Spring 2024 Contest
By autumn koors foltz i. how the fuck did marchblow through the fallof all those markets &still come out swing-ing & no this is notabout a fucking price of stocks … Continue Reading CONTEST HONORABLE MENTION “do no harm (elegy for my father’s insurance)”
By Tristan Mitchell Words are funny, fickle things. They all have meaning. No, rather, meanings. They all mean at least one thing, but many of them mean more. The writer … Continue Reading CONTEST WINNER: Tristan Mitchell
The River’s bi-annual contest is back! This time as the Word Challenge contest! This semester, we’re asking you to produce a piece of writing that includes three specific words: Empathic, … Continue Reading It’s Time For A Contest!