June is the month of waves: heat and barbeques and heat and beer and water, if you can find it, beaches and dustbowls and more beer and margaritas and air-conditioning and fans blowing waves of heat around and skies filled with sky and flies and mosquitoes and birds, hummingbirds and nights sitting on a porch somewhere out there hoping you won’t sweat when you sleep and don’t forget the ice cream. This mid-June issue of Connotation Press is wave upon wave of exceptional fire in the language of six outstanding fiction writers who might keep you so occupied with their prose that you will forget about the heat outside for a while.
Jen Michalski is our featured fiction writer in this issue. Her story, “1945” is incredibly visceral and unforgettable. Her story packs a punch to the gut. And Jen generously lets us in on her process, her love of research and her brilliant debut novel, The Tide King, in our interview.
Dena Rash Guzman takes us on a wild ride of a tale, “Tugboats and Bullets,” that blasts a hell of an ending of a man living outside the bounds.
Doug Bootes delivers three beautifully depicted flash pieces, “Sketchy,” “Good-bye Sasha,” and “The Reincarnation of Wallace.” I believe I know these people.
Misti Rainwater-Lites blasts us with her powerful story, “Scissored Heart,” of a girl who gets and hears the peer pressure and judgment around her, but does not succumb to it.
Jenna Park smolders us with her exquisite language in three flash pieces, “Dirty Hands,” “The Couch,” and “n + 1.”
Gary V. Powell gives us two tightly sewn tales, “Accidental Love,” and “Perfect Victim,” that are cinematic and palpable.
Enjoy these tales with beer, ice cream and air-conditioning if you can.
Thank you to all these stellar writers for sending some of your pure brilliance to Connotation Press! LOVE!