Fiction | JOYLAND PUBLISHING

Another Opening

Chase Burke -

Dad was dead, that’s the start. The story is this: My brother James and I were visiting our falling-apart father at his home in Birmingham, Alabama,...

Still Life

Becky Shirley -

On Monday, while Tess waits in the campus health center, Russell calls her for the first time since the start of Fall semester. He...

Harmony

Ikechukwu Ogbu -

I was thirteen when we moved to the brown house on Rest House Road—my ten-year-old brother Ugo, Mama and I. Papa had not come...

Excerpt from The Hive

Melissa Scholes Young -

The following is an excerpt from The Hive by Melissa Scholes Young, available now from Keylight Books. The Hive is a story of survival, sisters,...

Con Safos Rifa

Lou Mathews -

"Con Safos Rifa" by Lou Mathews is an excerpt from the novel Shaky Town (2021, Tiger Van Books). All graffiti inked by the writer. There...

A Late Arrival

Travis Eisenbise -

The circus was coming to Chattanooga, just an hour’s drive away, and Bonnie decided to go. She saw the ad on Facebook while her...

Polyptych for Vic

Nathan Dragon -

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A Friend

Rasheeda Saka -

"A Friend" by Rasheeda Saka was selected by Joyland as a finalist in the 2021 Open Border Fiction Prize. I am not so old nor...

A Stirring in the Glue

Mary Elizabeth Dubois -

"A Stirring in the Glue" by Mary Elizabeth Dubois was selected by Joyland as a finalist in the 2021 Open Border Fiction Prize. I think...

Late Girl

Jessie Ren Marshall -

"Late Girl" by Jessie Ren Marshall was selected by Joyland as a finalist in the 2021 Open Border Fiction Prize. Roman used to say that the body...