Alison McBain
Bio
Alison McBain writes fiction & poetry, edits & reviews books, and pens a webcomic called “Toddler Times.” In her free time, she drinks gallons of coffee & pretends to be a pool shark at her local pub. More: http://www.alisonmcbain.com/
Achievements (30)
Stories (147)
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The Sack of Potatoes
Pain, pressure, fear. Exhaustion. My baby is almost here. Failure edges into my thoughts—am I pushing enough? I can hear the doctor using language that’s coded in medical-ese. She’s not really talking to me, just to the nurses around me. But what does it mean when they say the baby’s in distress? The umbilical cord is wrapped around where?
By Alison McBain9 months ago in Psyche
King of Beasts
The lion roars in his cage. I'm standing on the far side of his small enclosure, and the heavy smell of his pelt fills the room. Hard not to feel like I'm in a jungle somewhere with this tawny creature stalking me, assessing my status as prey. He screams again, and I shudder dramatically.
By Alison McBain9 months ago in Fiction
Breakthrough. Honorable Mention in The Life-Extending Conundrum Challenge.
Dr. Beatrice Yunez didn’t shout “Eureka” as ancient Greek scientists might have. Instead, she carefully double-checked the bloodwork of the mice in front of her. They nibbled on their pellets, unimpressed with her observation. She’d spent the past three years with them, day in and day out.
By Alison McBain10 months ago in Longevity
Experimentally Lost. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Sometimes, I think it's great to challenge convention. However, sometimes being TOO experimental can fall flat. The picture from the header is taken from a story I wrote called "Noted (First Draft)." Contrary to the piece's title, the story was completely finished. But it was a story told through a play on using Microsoft Word's editing software (Track Changes). The comments on the side were meant to add an extra layer to the story through having "notes" on the action - so, the notes added for the reader a glimpse into the author's (my) thought processes on the story itself. It was a commentary on a commentary, so to speak.
By Alison McBain10 months ago in Critique
Pen Pals
Dear Mr. Dave, I am writeing to you because my teacher told us to write to a soldier & you are the soldier she told me to write to. I am sorry that you are away from your family right now and hopefuly you do not die and can see them again. Miss Blatchley told us that war is bad but I don’t know anything about war. Can you tell me more about it? All the grownups won’t talk about it, not really. My teacher said you are in a place called Afgan’s Tan. My mom said that grandma made a afgan for us but its just a blanket so I’m not sure why she was making it or why we are at war over it. Maybe because the sand is tan where you are?
By Alison McBain11 months ago in History
Not for Samurai. Honorable Mention in A Taste of Home Challenge.
If you go to any Japanese restaurant anywhere in North America, I can bet you money that you’re not going to find butadofu on the menu. That’s because it’s a meal that’s not fancy enough for restaurants, just simple enough to cook quickly at home from a hodgepodge of ingredients. I’ve found a lot of varieties of this Japanese dish posted online—it’s similar to the American beef stew. While some of the ingredients tend to be the same with each recipe (pork, miso, tofu), other people have added their own signature touch to it to make it unique to their family.
By Alison McBain11 months ago in Feast
