ARTWRITING

“Belugas are often known as the canaries of the sea,” the trainer said as the whale chirped right on cue. She moved her hand over the...

“Tell me about the pond, Jo.“ "Again?” Robbie nodded vigorously. “OK. One day we’ll live together with a house on a pond. And you’ll be...

Seams are supposed to be invisible. To conceal the hand of the seamstress. We’re not supposed to know what happens behind the scenes. I...

Petite with a soft voice and delicate gestures, Darcel reminded Joely of a Black Jackie Kennedy. But as soon as that thought popped into...

Thank you For allowing me to look down at this table Which would be nothing without that angular leaf Slicing into the wall And for...

When Joely wanted to swallow, her brain would thrust the food from her mouth into her throat. If she picked up a plate that was too hot,...

When the weather came on the radio, Joely quickly pulled back her shower curtain to hear the forecast. Close to zero, more snow, and the...

On Wednesdays after school, Joley met with Kayla and Marvin in a first-floor classroom. It was protocol for teachers to erase the...

She bent down to remove her boots. “Keep them on.” He liked how their sleek blackness echoed her mink hair, and she liked how his words...

On Sundays, Joely’s family went on day trips because once the car was moving and Robbie had the map in his hands, he could remain content...

Joely squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for color to come out of the blackness behind her closed lids. It was a trick she’d figured how to...

Even though Kayla was so tiny and flat-chested that it was easy to imagine her with a doll in her arms, she carried herself with the...

8/19 “Don’t you see, Simon? We don’t fit together.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Exactly what I said. We don’t fit.” “Fit? What do...

"Grapes are too easy,” Dory said when Hank passed her the bowl. He looked baffled. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.” Why did she say such...

The heat in the cabin was broken, so they spent the day next to the fireplace -- reading, playing backgammon, and eating dinner on TV...

The man Dory had set her sights on marrying led her to rows of wooden letter blocks arranged on metal shelving. “My grandfather founded a...

Wispy and fair, Lee reminded me of a dandelion gone to seed. Pale skin, long fleshless arms, light grey eyes the color of a fawn’s. Even...

The kids were cranked like Jack-in-the-boxes and exploded out of their seats when the bell rang for recess and lunch. But not Joely. ...

I only went because I wanted to prove that I wasn’t the person you thought I was. That I could rough it. That I could endure the cold and...

the tight weave of dowdy muslin preserves its true nature and defies the possibility of curves unseamed edges unafraid frayed beneath...