Meet the Fall 2019 River Editors!
As the greenery of summer begins to shift into the fiery colors of autumn, two new editors make their way into the River. We are Rowan Bagley, a Creative Writing … Continue Reading Meet the Fall 2019 River Editors!
The River Stalled for Summer
The end of the semester is upon us and that means that it’s time for a change for the summer. The River is going to be stalled for the summer … Continue Reading The River Stalled for Summer
Aurelia of the Crows
This piece is the winner of the The River’s 2018 Dramatic Works Contest! AURELIA OF THE CROWS by Carter Aimone The setting is 1900 New York and centers on the … Continue Reading Aurelia of the Crows
Prompts for Every Genre!
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading Prompts for Every Genre!
The Door
This piece is a runner up in The River’s 2018 Dramatic Works Contest. THE DOOR by Hannah Calkin Characters: ALLISON MILLS: Late 20s. Plain, eccentric, anxious. JASON FISHER: Mid … Continue Reading The Door
The Revision Process and Knowing When Your Work is Done
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading The Revision Process and Knowing When Your Work is Done
Radical Kinship
by Amy Baskin —dedicated to the staff of Homeboy Industries and Fr. Greg Boyle Tell me again all about my roots. Swab my cheeks. Can you see my … Continue Reading Radical Kinship
Breaking Boundaries: The Relationship between Writer and Genre
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading Breaking Boundaries: The Relationship between Writer and Genre
Adoration
by Gale Acuff When Miss Hooker calls on me to tell her and my classmates here in Sunday School just who killed the giant Goliath with his sling I answer Jesus and everyone laughs. No, … Continue Reading Adoration
Reading Across Genre
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading Reading Across Genre
The Green Line perseveres
by Amy Baskin —for Ricky Best, Taliesin Namkai-Meche, Micah Fletcher and the young women they defended on on the train in Portland, Oregon on May 26th, 2017 notice how platforms … Continue Reading The Green Line perseveres
What Writers can learn from Role-Playing Games
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading What Writers can learn from Role-Playing Games
The Scream
by Caitlin Waltz “The color shrieked.” -Edvard Munch I walk along a bridge with no beginning and no end, the sunset reflected in the faded streaks of color in the … Continue Reading The Scream
The Cat and the Ox: Finding Your Process and Staying Engaged
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading The Cat and the Ox: Finding Your Process and Staying Engaged
Place: Writing What You Know
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies for … Continue Reading Place: Writing What You Know
Dark Night, Bright Sky
by Tamar Anolic It was winter when Father Cillian O’Leary realized he had lost his faith. He spent the morning in penance, trying to get his whip across … Continue Reading Dark Night, Bright Sky
3 Reasons to Submit Your Work
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies … Continue Reading 3 Reasons to Submit Your Work
Rimbaud’s Last Stand
by Rick Viar Porters unlash you after the desert, your breathing a brittle, sweat-faded book you decide you’ll keep. It is time to be forgiven for lies, absinthe, … Continue Reading Rimbaud’s Last Stand
What Does your Character Want?
by Willy Doehring, River co-editor The “Writer’s Workshop” blog posts are meant to be a collage of writer’s tips, tricks, and strategies, including the first steps to publishing, writing prompts, strategies … Continue Reading What Does your Character Want?
A User’s Guide to Escaping the Chimney
by Jonathan Sload Admit that you’re stuck in the chimney. Stop using the phrases “sliding down” and “squeezing through.” You stopped doing those ten minutes ago. Stop … Continue Reading A User’s Guide to Escaping the Chimney
The New Editors of Spring 2018
A new season is here, and with it comes a new wave of submissions along with the introduction of the Spring 2018 editors. We’re both looking forward to publishing new … Continue Reading The New Editors of Spring 2018
A Straight Shot Between Friends
By Bonnie Larson Staiger after Margaret Haberman’s “How to Make Espresso” In the center of the continentmy landlocked coffee machinegurgles and spits mannaand crema in my insulated mug.Not bad actually … Continue Reading A Straight Shot Between Friends
Comfort Contest!
Writing can be one spectacular coping mechanism for disaster, and the past year has inspired many brilliant pieces. But turning pain into art about pain is one thing. How can … Continue Reading Comfort Contest!
High School Fashion Dolls
By Nik Shultz When I was just about the age when it was no longer cool to care about dolls, Monster High dolls came out, creating a phenomenon that I … Continue Reading High School Fashion Dolls
Reckless
By William Cass When I was a little boy, I lived for a short time with my uncle’s family while my mom, his younger sister, spent a stint in rehab. … Continue Reading Reckless
What Would Houdini Do?
By Jan Zlotnik Schmidt (with thanks to Judy, who asked the question) “Man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea. If he … Continue Reading What Would Houdini Do?
A History
By Nik Shultz So by now you might have a sense of my history with dolls, but you still might be confused about why I find them interesting. Let’s look … Continue Reading A History
Mrs. Hardy
Steven M. Smith’s poems have appeared in The River, Hole in the Head Review, Rattle, Old Red Kimono, Plainsongs, Poetrybay, Ibbetson Street Press, Cabildo Quarterly, Better Than Starbucks, Offcourse, The Writing Disorder, The Worcester Review, and Mudfish. He is the Writing Center director at … Continue Reading Mrs. Hardy
Four-Leaf Clover
By Zhihui Zou It was a peaceful hilltop covered by clovers, three-leaf clovers. But that spring, a four-leaf clover grew from a seed that had traveled over in the wind … Continue Reading Four-Leaf Clover
An Explanation
By Nik Shultz So you might be wondering, Why dolls? But before I can answer that question I think I need to give a bit of backstory. I never quite … Continue Reading An Explanation
The Empty Nest: Pandemic Winter
By Jan Zlotnik Schmidt On a winter day I watch my golden doodle, Rufus, amble across the snow-crusted lawn, just a trace coating flattened, dead grass and stray stalks of … Continue Reading The Empty Nest: Pandemic Winter
Hello from the Dollhouse: An Introduction
Meet our new editor of The River for the Spring 2021 semester!
Apparent Pause
by: John Zedolik For the past four years, John Zedolik has been an adjunct English instructor at a number of universities in and around Pittsburgh. He has published poems in … Continue Reading Apparent Pause
Hindsight
by: Aaron Sandberg Aaron Sandberg still plays his Sega Genesis. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in West Trade Review, Asimov’s, The Offing, Sporklet, Lowestoft Chronicle, Abridged, Giallo, Right … Continue Reading Hindsight
Trespass
by: Aaron Sanberg Aaron Sandberg still plays his Sega Genesis. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in West Trade Review, Asimov’s, The Offing, Sporklet, Lowestoft Chronicle, Abridged, Giallo, Right … Continue Reading Trespass
Ladies’ Night Out
by: Scott Waters Venus and the moonwent out last nightto set the sky on fire. I saw them in the morning–two laughing, dissipated,revived old girlstottering home acrossa wide black street,thumbing … Continue Reading Ladies’ Night Out
Blanket
by: Scott Waters From the windowof our warm kitchenthe eastern skyblushes like the cheek of the young womanin the pink parkawho spent the nightleaning against a telephone poleacross the streeta … Continue Reading Blanket