Interview

The PornME Trinity Interview With David Leo Rice

While the times are inarguably grim, and dystopian literature suddenly seems all too real, the strange relevance of one of The Opiate Books’ first published works on the imprint, The PornME Trinity, is perhaps a more cautionary tale than ever as we move into forced self-quarantine. Below we discuss everything from the genesis of the project to the advent of coronavirus fetish porn. The Opiate: … Continue reading The PornME Trinity Interview With David Leo Rice

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Criticism

The 70s Got the “Virus Apocalypse” Right With The Girl Who Owned A City

It is in the sixth grade that we are assigned to read O.T. Nelson’s The Girl Who Owned A City (perhaps merely an anomalous part of the reading curriculum in California). Because kids have a tendency to go along with most everything adults say at that age, it doesn’t come across as entirely strange or disturbing to be reading a dystopian YA novel about a … Continue reading The 70s Got the “Virus Apocalypse” Right With The Girl Who Owned A City

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Criticism, Essay

New York Is A Spineless Place, Which Is Why It Has Publishing Companies to Match: On Hachette & Woody Allen

New York, the place everyone still deems as a gumption-filled milieu where we’re all free to be you and me, so long as it doesn’t step on the wrong “tastemaker’s” toes or offend the wrong victim’s (a.k.a. someone with clout/public visibility) sensibilities. Let us get this straight: this isn’t merely about Woody Allen. About whether one “supports” him or not. Or whether one “believes” him … Continue reading New York Is A Spineless Place, Which Is Why It Has Publishing Companies to Match: On Hachette & Woody Allen

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Poetry

On the Tail End of a Winter’s Night by Dionne Luna Tenhue

On the tail end of a winter’s night,my soul met yoursDanced a duetneither of us knew the steps toYet we swayed in tuneDC streetlightturned spotlight for our solosas we swapped stories aboutthe stars from which we cameAnd the scars hidden from plain sightHow bright a beaconour attentivenessHow comfort of homeour careNow entrustedto protect every timelinethat led us hereWe felt stronger having sharedour weaknessesHeld tightly the … Continue reading On the Tail End of a Winter’s Night by Dionne Luna Tenhue

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Poetry

In Plain Sight by Ralph Watkins

In plain sight, laying back in the cut,camouflaged into my surroundings andblending in real nice–I see things all the time, withoutother people knowingI’m there or watching– I saw who robbed who,when they weren’t home,I saw who was cheating onwho, when they thoughtthey were alone– Tell you the truth.I need help, trying not to close my eyes or look the other way.But trust, I will tell … Continue reading In Plain Sight by Ralph Watkins

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Criticism

Ewa Mazierska Brings the Character of Poland (and Other Foreign Lands) to Life in Neighbours & Tourists

While many of us try to escape the place from whence we came (particularly those of an artistic temperament), there is often no avoiding how much the milieu that formed the core of our being remains within us. For cinema critic and short story writer Ewa Mazierska, that milieu is undeniably Włocławek. Or at least Poland as a general framework for the narratives that comprise … Continue reading Ewa Mazierska Brings the Character of Poland (and Other Foreign Lands) to Life in Neighbours & Tourists

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Poetry

Romantic Dinner by Chris Burke

I cleaned your cat’s puke again today,the beige chunks fused into our matwhile she gobbled down the rest. Remember when that made me  retch? To eat one’s molten sick.The way her body pumped it outlike the devil’s song, all heave and ho from gut to throat to floor. One time, my shoe. A fur machinefor summoning Beelzebub. Better out than in? “Better in than out.” For you, it was … Continue reading Romantic Dinner by Chris Burke

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Criticism

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (Nor Should She Be): You’ll Think Twice About Your Write-Off of Old Women After Reading Helene Tursten’s Tale of Intrigue

Preconceived notions are, of course, the unfortunate backbone that makes this world go hastily ‘round. It’s what saves us all time and effort when it comes to actually scratching beneath the surface of things. While a bittersweet reality of life, stereotyping is a lazy human phenomenon that works to eighty-something Maud’s advantage. For she is the eponymous “elderly lady” in Helene Tursten’s An Elderly Lady … Continue reading An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (Nor Should She Be): You’ll Think Twice About Your Write-Off of Old Women After Reading Helene Tursten’s Tale of Intrigue

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