featuring stories by Stacey Richter & Matt Bell

ABOUT THE ISSUE

In this issue, Stacey Richter, one of our very favorite writers, gives us a new lens on her story “Velvet,” which first appeared in her collection Twin Study.  “Velvet” re-imagines the hero’s journey with a butt-sniffing dog as the protagonist, and Stacey elucidates her process in a hilarious and thoughtful interview. 

Matt Bell’s “Hold On To Your Vacuum” explores the darkly playful realm of a high-stakes game. An early draft that originated from a dream, Matt's story became a controlled tale of regret and hope through careful revision on the global and sentence level. Matt shares his experience writing and rewriting "Hold On To Your Vacuum" in an interview that covers the music he listened to while drafting to the detailed work of syntax and diction revision.