Vol. 12 No. 2 Fall / Winter 2015–16
( P u r c h a s e )
Included in this issue . . .
Translation Feature T H E S W A M P Can Xue Trans. Karen Gernant & Chen Zeping
There actually was a swamp right in this big concrete forest of a city. Older people could still remember it. Ayuan wasn’t old, but he knew of the swamp from hearing Uncle Sang talk about it occasionally.
One night after drinking too much, Uncle Sang was about to fall asleep as he sprawled over a big square table. Ayuan was chatting excitedly with the waiter about going into a small business together, when Uncle Sang sat up straight and started shaking Ayuan’s arm. He yelled, “You have to be broad-minded in order to see the bigger picture! Everything I told you before was true! We mustn’t let superficial things blur our vision…You, Liuma: you’re a waiter here, but you’re a schemer; you’re too ambitious, and you aren’t broad-minded. Why are you tugging at me? I have to get it all out; there won’t be another chance!” He flung Ayuan’s hand off.
In the blink of an eye, Liuma vanished. Waving an arm, Uncle Sang shouted, “He’s gone into hiding! This schemer—he’s gone off to hide in an inconceivable place!”
It took all of Ayuan’s strength to drag Uncle Sang out of the bar. They turned into a long alley; Uncle Sang’s home was at the end of the alley.
(Continued on page 31)
F I C T I O N
Space Christopher Marc Pascucci
Inishmore Gwen E. Kirby
Puppy, with Child Daniel O’Malley
Close to Kansas Reem Abu-Baker
Listen to Me Bryan Furuness
N O N F I C T I O N
The Full Montaigne Joey Franklin
Suck Sara Crosby
Grand Theft Barrett Bowlin
The Cobra’s Son Betsy Hearne
P O E T R Y
Lisa McMurtray The Universe in Which Neither of Us Exists
The Universe in Which We All Own Islands The Universe Which Is Only This Room
Erin Rodoni Giant Slalom The Woman Who Is Your Mother
Matt Morton The Idea All Honeycombed, the Ground
Mairead Small Staid Stable Vices Studies for a Spaghetti Western
Mai Der Vang Dear Soldier of the Secret War, Laos 1975
The Spirit Meal
Matt McBride City of the Whites City of the Police
Kate Lebo Care and Feeding Horsetail
Noa Saunders Self-Potrait Cannonballs
Damian Caudill Prayer Sitting Atop the Bronco’s Wheel Well
Hannah Baggott 1 Corinthians 6:19 Game Theory in Dreams
Mary Angelino Our Young Fathers Waiting Calling Home
Keith Kopka Homecoming
Lauren Jensen-Deegan A Lazy Love
Max Cohen Good People Make Their Own Coffee
Every Cold Bird What I Missed
Laura Romeyn Sundog Bride Wet Nurse
Annie Kim More Words for Snow
Dan Haney Elon Musk’s Failed Mission to Mars
Where George Lokitis Left Centralia for Good What I Do After Work
Jeffrey Morgan Translation
Annie Rudy St. Hubertus in the Ardennes
2015 Literary Awards
Fiction
S E E A L S O : A H I S T O R Y O F G L A S S M A K I N G
Kristen N. Arnett
Poetry
I N T H E Y E A R O F N O S L E E P
Corey Van Landingham
Creative Nonfiction
M Y O W N G O O D D A E M O N
Michael Gracey
&
Art Features ( Brian M. Wiley ) ( Emmy Lingscheit, interviewed by Alyssa Bralower ) ( Micah Cash, interviewed by Ally Johnson )
Brought to you by . . .
(editor ) Jodee Stanley
( creative nonfiction editor ) Alex Shakar
( fiction editor ) Philip Graham
( poetry editor ) Michael Madonick
( creative director ) Matthew Peterson
( art director ) Joe Carpenter
( illustrators ) Jina Seo Mew Tachibana Sander Weeks James Wisdom
( designers ) Katie Geary Robert Marohn Ben Minard Vin Park
Courtney Podgorski Eric Pryor Alyssa Sparacino Gracie Sullivan
( assistant editors ) Sara Fan Ceridwen Hall Zachariah McVicker Katherine Scott Nelson
( editorial assistants ) John Dudek Nolan Grieve Michael Hurley Katherine Kendig
Calgary Martin Caitlin McGuire Daniel Porder Kristin Walters Jess Williard
( editorial intern ) Laney Ontiveros
S U P P O R T
College of Fine + Applied Arts
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English
LAS Humanities Council
Office of the Chancellor
Office of the Provost
School of Art + Design
Individual Sponsors
(patron) Sarah Knox, M.D. John Hall, M.D.
(friend) Raina Bahns Gladys Justin Carr Joan Golder Kathleen Harleman
This project is partially supported by grants
from the National Endowment of the Arts
and the Illinois Arts Council
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