Julian Sanchez: On Fiction and Surveillance

[caption id="attachment_11940" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Julian Sanchez © Susan Morgan/PEN American Center"][/caption] At this year's PEN World Voices Festival, the panel Life in the Panopticon: Thoughts on Freedom in an Era… More

Birds in the Mouth

I turned off the TV and looked out the window. Silvia’s car was parked in front of the house, with the emergency lights on. I wondered if there was… More

Chatat

Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age. —Genesis 6:9 Who can say when evil begins? Perhaps it starts with sibilant whispers, reptilian suggestion, something… More

Sabrina

Sabrina is a waxy, white-complected woman of 27 years. If we are to live together in an 8 x 11-foot jail cell, she feels that it would be only… More

Silent Chatter

John woke one rainy morning and discovered the writing in the floor. When his bare feet touched the cold concrete, he looked down to locate his slippers and… More

The Blessing of Jebidiah Goodytake

That damned Bernie! One night, without invitation or provocation, he just burst into my room and began tapping my pillow—thump thump thumpity thump—as if he were jabbering off some… More

Monster in the Playground

This story is dedicated to all the children in this world who suffer abuse in whatever form, and to my step-mom, Dorothy. Dorothy’s prayerful hopes for me gave me… More

Jesusland

1 My name is Jesus. And I’m back. I always wanted to say that. “I’m back.” Like the Austrian Oak, what’s his name, the governor of California. Schwarzenegger, Arnold—if you’re into… More

Apple Jelly

“Clem! Where you been hidin’? Ain’t seen you in a month o’ Sundays!” “Tell ya what Emmett, you buy me a Pabst an’ I’ll tell ya ’xactly where I been.… More