When The Phone Rang… The Call of the Muse Was Answered: An Interview with Youssef Alaoui and Anton Bonnici

The subject matter of Youssef Alaoui and Anton Bonnici’s new release, When the Phone Rang, feels as timely now as it did at one of the heights of anti-Arab sentiments and policies: in the immediate years that followed 9/11. The Opiate took some time to discuss, among other topics, how the original short story, “When the Phone Rang,” came to be and why the resonance … Continue reading When The Phone Rang… The Call of the Muse Was Answered: An Interview with Youssef Alaoui and Anton Bonnici

Genna RivieccioJune 9, 2025Leave a comment

Fiction

Scraping the Bucket by Max Talley

She watched her husband drink his beer in the amphitheater as the loud music washed over them. So joyous in the moment. What a shame. “I am so fucking psyched for this concert.” He leaned forward as if listening intently. “Wow, sounds really different.” “He’s sounded different for like twenty years.” She studied him. “I mean compared to the records I own.” “Those albums were … Continue reading Scraping the Bucket by Max Talley

Genna RivieccioDecember 26, 2023Leave a comment

Criticism

Sexism & Cowardice in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Or: Maybe Ichabod Crane Got What Was Coming to Him

It’s never easy to be “the new boy in town,” especially a small one like Sleepy Hollow–which probably felt even smaller before Washington Irving put it on the map with his classic short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” And yet, this is what Ichabod Crane must be as he comes to town to fulfill an instructing position at the schoolhouse. It doesn’t take him … Continue reading Sexism & Cowardice in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Or: Maybe Ichabod Crane Got What Was Coming to Him

Genna RivieccioOctober 31, 2017October 31, 20172 Comments