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 Darrell Dela Cruz “Ars Poetica” -For the Watergarden The pain has no singular outlet, dispersed amongst the nerves amplified in the spread which you rub as … Continue Reading “Ars Poetica,” “Nude Illusion,” and “Post Verbal”
by Gregory T. Janetka Damn television sets. Three blaring away and the sun not yet up. Noxious distractions—news that’s not news, fearmongering, adverts for pills for conditions they don’t … Continue Reading The Marriage in Waiting
But that isn’t the case anymore. I kind of hate television now. I’ve spent years of my life watching characters do things that I’ve never done. I’ve watched heroes go into battle and defeat villains. I’ve watched people hitchhike across America and find themselves (admittedly, I probably wouldn’t do that because I don’t want to die, but what have you). I’ve watched people fall in love. And I’ve never done any of those things. And beyond that, I’ve spent all that time actively not thinking. I’ve existed in a complacent state—one that allowed for stabilization, but not growth.
by Cordelia Hanemann “alone” for Louis as for all “Second Honeymoon” a meditation on Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” At Shiloh dead soldiers march across green new grass. “We could begin … Continue Reading “alone,” “Second Honeymoon,” “Domestic Strife,” “auto-manic,” and “(St) Eve
by Sudhanshu Chopra Troops of soldiers march down the horizon-wide pathin unison trying to make us believe everything is in order. A few of them perhaps still working to believe … Continue Reading Republic Day juxtaposition
by Eugene Stevenson “To La Scala in the Rain” Ten hours late Octoberthrough New York rain,over Atlantic storms,under Milanese fog, toLa Scala in mist & rain. No sleep, as if … Continue Reading “To La Scala in the Rain,” “June Brides,” and “Guilty of Something”
by Salvatore Difalco Every time Alfonsus entered a room an unearthly glowing light suffused it. I wondered if he was religious. He typically wore a cross of gold, indicating either … Continue Reading THE ONLY SIN IS PRIDE
By Horisun Antunee Reasonability is death. It’s the death of imagination. It’s the death of creativity. It’s the death of an innumerable number of things. But beyond all of them, … Continue Reading We Need To Be Unreasonable
by John Tustin “CREST” My body riding on the Crest Of your body The waves of us Undulating Under the moon That guides our Force Toward the blankets of shore … Continue Reading “Crest” and “Funeral Poem Painted on Silk”
by Thomas Elson “Her Toast Untouched” “Visiting Again” “One Morning Each Week” Thomas Elson’s stories appear in numerous venues, including Ellipsis, Better Than Starbucks, Bull, Cabinet of Heed, Flash Frontier, … Continue Reading “Her Toast Untouched,” “Visiting Again,” and “One Morning Each Week”
Compassion is earned in this world. It’s something given to the people that you care about: your friends, family, lovers, etc. And I don’t understand that.
by Robert Helfst Lampyridae Five years ago, your mother burst into a cloud of fireflies and disappeared into the night. Ever since, you’ve tracked the bugs in the backyard, searching … Continue Reading “Lampyridae” and “Lobatus Gigas”
If I write a book, and intend to publish it, then I will be doing something that will lead to the death of an insurmountable number of trees.
I had some issues when I was younger. Don’t worry—I wasn’t killing small animals or communing with the dead. I just lied a lot.
by Shannon Frost Greenstein “I love you!” My friends laughed as only sixteen year-olds can, but I wasn’t embarrassed. My mother and I were as close as any single parent … Continue Reading Abandon All Faith Ye Who Enter Here
By Robert Pfeiffer “Adult Swim“ “Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears” -William Wordsworth “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” You emerge once more into the world, lungs aching for … Continue Reading “Adult Swim,” “Social Anxiety,” “Taking a Nap with You,” “How to Keep it Going,” and “Summer Storm”