Like the best fiction, the best creative nonfiction concerns itself with much more than its purported subject. I will use a quotation from each of this month’s pieces as a clue to deeper significance—all of which is my own personal take, of course, and readers are free to come up with their own clues and conclusions for each piece. Andrew Rihn’s “Four Micro Essays” ostensibly describes four of Mike Tyson’s fights, but I challenge the reader to undercover the deeper meaning here. Clue from the text: “a truth laid bare, also translates to apocalypse, which once meant insight or even a visionary hallucination.”
Julia Nunnally Duncan’s “The Cherokee Sweethearts” is ostensibly about a guitar duo that goes by that name. Clue to deeper meaning: “I was touched by this unexpected gift and pinned it to my striped sweater to wear proudly that Saturday.”
Eugene William Levich’s “Paean to a Whore” describes unexpected assistance rendered by a prostitute in a completely non-sexual manner. Clue to deeper meaning: “One thing I loved about Paris was that people felt safe, even at three A. M. on a deserted street.”
“Missing Pieces,” by Kathy Davis, is a family story, of which there are many in creative nonfiction, but this one has a deeper significance than most, suggested by this clue: “The story had now shifted from the well-ordered tale on which my dad had been raised to the grotesque—a strange, heartbreaking and disturbing plot involving people we loved and thought we knew.”
As always, I’m always interested in reading new work. I invite you to submit nonfiction on a topic of your choice. I’m looking for creative nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, memoirs, and personal essays—with the understanding that these categories often overlap—up to 10,000 words. Please submit work directly to me at [email protected]. I look forward to enjoying your work!