Of Ash and Bone
Even the legend of the two self-garroters varied according to the storyteller. In some versions the men were star-crossed lovers who died tragically, side by side. In others the… More
Painting the Sunset
It’s said that too many cooks spoil the broth and two women under one roof is one too many. It couldn’t have been easy for my Aunt Margie to… More
The High Desert Sessions
Time rather than education is the great leveler, Li. Eventually you’ll come around to my way of thinking, everyone will. You are definitely on the wrong side of history,… More
Midnight at the Manatee
Thirty-nine inches from tip to tip, / it must have weighed, I bet, almost forty pounds. / You teased me as we passed another angler, offering / to… More
LP’s and Girlz
Oh, SHE was All Too Real my friendz and beloved readerz because I tell you she literally bumped elbows with me as we both hunted for those heavenly 12-inch… More
Prison Writing Award Winners: 2012-2013
Every year, hundreds of imprisoned writers from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works to PEN America’s Prison Writing Contest, one of the few outlets of free… More
Minutes Before Six
“You are going to have a rather interesting map of what a person goes through during the years preceding an execution. He ruminated, “Sometimes I think that the missing… More
Getting Around to It
Setting: The interior of an apartment. Some clothing, a spoon, and several pens lie on the floor. Downstage left is a small table set with chess pieces in front… More
Healing Bin Laden
Two priests stand on the platform before an altar. SHERYL and DAVID are seated on the first row of pews. FATHER CARL: If anyone desires prayer and the laying… More