As I sat on the couch,she tended to the photographof the man in Army-issue uniform.Her husband had died. As details emerged,a hero rose up in the roomdefying gravity and death.More time elapsed. Emboldenedby several beers, I wrapped an arm around her.But she had to go and tell me his rank.And how many of the enemy he wastedbefore a lucky shot took him out.I didn’t think … Continue reading The Blind Date and the Soldier by John Grey
Tate Carmichael is the star of her own memoir, Lindsay Lohan Stole My Life, which depicts perhaps a more honest view than most of the period known as the aughts. The Opiate Books does not necessarily agree with or condone the opinions expressed and contained herein (complete with what many would call “strong language”), however we believe in freedom of speech and that, as Paris … Continue reading Tate Carmichael’s Review of Paris Hilton’s Memoir, Oh So Originally Called “Paris: The Memoir”
Catch the scent, hackles rise.Thinks I don’t see. Stay low. Stay secret.Meat memory. Salivating. Meat memory, salt-slick skin.Snarling, froth and spittle.I like to crunch the bones, suck the marrow.Panting. Replete.Calcite deposits collect on canines.Rattling breath; white pain of incisors.Replete. Sink in sleep. Continue reading Hunt by Megan Cartwright
Dear Ms. Esperanza: I greet you at the beginning of a great submissions process. The readers’ reports for CROSS MY HEART were wildly enthusiastic, and though it took me some time to get to it, I’m still reeling from the experience. Last night, I started reading your manuscript on the train and when I looked out the window I was in Connecticut, which was awkward, … Continue reading No Cigar by Charles Holdefer
So there I was, having sex with Joyce Carol Oates, everything going quite nicely, lights low and spirits high—it’s hard to find the words but I felt taken toward another place, a good place, the best, and then an awareness came upon me. No doubt because of the way Joyce was twisting, the angle of her arm, a shift in my gaze and a glimpse … Continue reading Dearest Reader by Charles Holdefer
Described as “one of the most original minds in American fiction today” (not exactly a difficult feat, but anyway…), Lydia Davis is known for something of an irascible, curmudgeonly tone (at least in print). This much was encapsulated in the title of her 2013 short story collection, Can’t and Won’t. As for the latest thing Davis “can’t” and “won’t” do, it’s sell her book on … Continue reading The Pros and Cons of Lydia Davis’ “Stance” on Amazon
We were safely sleeping in our roomswhen my brother was awakened by the foul breath of a stormthat violently rattled his windowand ominously groaned. As he was checking on inmates and locks,alarmed by the raging sea that not very distantly foamed,the floor shook beneath his feetand the walls began to move to and fro. I heard him call my namein a loud but shaky tone.I left my … Continue reading The Earthquake of 6 Feb 2023 by Susie Gharib
It’s funny how “the universe” can sometimes make you feel like it gives enough of a shit about you to tailor schadenfreude at your expense. I say this because only this year, seven years after starting The Opiate, I decided to implement a two-dollar submission fee, from which I get $1.64 and then still have to pay a monthly fee in order to use the … Continue reading On Submission Fees and the Publishers Are Pirates Belief That’s Currently Trending
I identify with Isak Dinesen in her old age.Instead of remembering the Out of Africa author,self-styled and elegant Baroness Karen von Blixen, What sticks in my brain is this awful Old Lady image:Isak Dinesen getting off an airplanewith her pantyhose twisted, creeping down her legs. Caught unawares in this sudden state of disarray,the Princess Adventuressturns into a bag lady. Continue reading The Isak Dinesen Moment by Kathryn Adisman
Why do you do it Mister Moon? Why do you shine us on so? Why lie and deceive hide and deflect? One moment you’re here the next… I suspect it’s to confuse us to use us as a mirror for your unconscious So indirect your reflections deceptions your subtle inflections Our dream half-lit just a slice of it— the stuffing dreams are made of You’re cold you’re cool Your push is your pull How we howl how … Continue reading Full Of It! by Antonia Alexandra Klimenko
