Stories
PFC Larry Pierson, a 21-year-old Afghanistan veteran from Vermilion, South Dakota, had made off with four M-16 A2s, six thirty-round magazines of ammo, and two M67 grenades.
Lucinda felt like a spy, trading dangerous information with Private Nately that could end the Cold War in one fell swoop—and she really wanted that Rolling Stones album.
Alex's sudden passion for the catacombs surprises me, and I get another of several recent inklings that I have been too ready to take his dumb rock star persona as the whole show, rather than as what it may be, a playful interpretation.
He smacked a mosquito against his bare leg, gratified by the swiftness of his reflex, and said aloud, “When total disability is good news,” and then, startled by his own angry voice, concluded the thought in his head, you know you’re screwed.
Ever since Leanne Carter came back from Iraq, she didn’t like surprises. They made her jumpy. She preferred to stick to a plan, so it was unusual that she stopped at the World’s Largest McDonald’s.
I have devised a system wherein I hit on Elvis look-alikes only as a way of dealing with the memory loss that always happens to me as an evening wears on. Before I take my first shot of tequila I close my eyes and say, “Remember, only Elvis. Only Elvis.”
Essays
There’s a certain excitement to tornado season, until a storm like this touches down.
When I stumbled upon an Army veteran at a bar, I also discovered a gruesome tragedy from my dad's past.
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
If only Dana Spiotta had an Oklahoma connection, I thought.
Audio
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What happens when you fill-in for a buddy at work, and it all goes horribly wrong? Connstance Squires finds out.
