Arthritis, Salad, and Harvard Yard
By Michael Estabrook Arthritis . . . when you’re young you haven’t time to think about being old . . . Grandson hears me groan for no apparent reason as … Continue Reading Arthritis, Salad, and Harvard Yard
A Literary Magazine Sponsored by The University of Maine at Farmington
The River is a representation of the Sandy River itself, which runs alongside the university and what inspired the name of the journal. It is a constantly flowing, ebbing and surging, body of content filled with contemporary work. To submit to The River please visit our Submissions page to the left or e mail TheRiverEditors@gmail.com directly.
By Michael Estabrook Arthritis . . . when you’re young you haven’t time to think about being old . . . Grandson hears me groan for no apparent reason as … Continue Reading Arthritis, Salad, and Harvard Yard
By David Sapp Jacob wore big plastic dayglo green earrings to match a grandmother’s housecoat he wore as a dress, a yellow and chartreuse print muumuu. He was unlike any … Continue Reading Jacob’s Painting
By S. F. Wright Bill had always been big; in high school, he’d played linebacker. But upon finishing college, finding a job, and getting married, he spent most of his … Continue Reading Flex
By Rosemary Dunn Moeller Lunar Eclipse Watching Watching the snow-colored disk by its own light, I smiled back, waiting for the dimming as our earth’s penumbral shadow touched the widest … Continue Reading “Lunar Eclipse Watching”, “Strolling Downhill with Sisyphus”, and “Devouring Eggs on Half Moon Island, Antarctica”
By Michael Romary Kafka and The Buddha Meet So after Buddha read Kafka’s “The Silence of the Sirens” both sitting across from each other, said nothing for a long, long … Continue Reading “Kafka and The Buddha Meet” and “The Sailing”
By Joshua Hoffman “That’s the last straw!” Wilbur cawed as he stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. His younger sister Erin was standing at the kitchen counter, slowly … Continue Reading The Last Straw
By Madeline Legere An unexpected entrance now A little sun creeps into my devouring shadow But my heart twists upside-down When a smile turns into a scowl Light a little … Continue Reading Sunny Side
By S. T. Brant i. The Price of Wisdom What is the price of wisdom? A question we must always wonder. We could become wise, know the requirements for becoming … Continue Reading Lessons Fallen from the Tree of Paradise
By Venus Wright In Autumn of my sixteenth year on earth, I messed up on my lies worse than I ever had. My parents came down on me terribly on … Continue Reading Foolish Teenager – 2/3
I would like to preface by saying that I do not condone lying unless absolutely necessary for safety or otherwise. These are just my thoughts as someone who used to … Continue Reading Foolish Teenager – 1/3
By Joshua Hoffman Two by Two. Four By four. Six by six. The sidewalk was thronging as men and women marched, their movements rehearsed and robotic. John was sandwiched between … Continue Reading A Penny For Your Thoughts
By Venus Wright Ryland was walking back to his dorm from his last class, which had gotten out late. It was already dark which made the February wind all the … Continue Reading Harmlessly Lethal Con
By William Doreski A Cloud Mountain The dusk above Epping bulks with black cloud on blue-black sky. The blur of oncoming headlights ribbons in a tough endless glitter. We’re driving … Continue Reading “A Cloud Mountain”, “Of Such Music”, and “Color and Discolor”
By Art Moore for Susan Musgrave free verse for felons, his girlfriend, a handgun poet who answered hotel room doors barely dressed, bare breasted, shoulder holster, checkered walnut handle the … Continue Reading “for Susan Musgrave”, “Prom Dress”, “mimesis”, “pain threshold”, and “performance art”
By Venus Wright There was a boy in his math class whose mom was losing her battle to cancer. Miles was his name. Miles sat two rows in front of … Continue Reading Through Her Teeth
By Joshua Hoffman It would not be an absurdity if one were to say that words have power. Of course they do. Words are the foundation of our society. Without … Continue Reading Thoughts on Idioms