Claire Ibarra
Bio
Claire is the author of Fragile Saints, a novel published by Adelaide Books in 2021. Claire’s poetry chapbook Vortex of Our Affections was published by Finishing Line Press in 2017.
Achievements (1)
Stories (10)
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Beautiful Lunatics
When Janine and Holly are at school, they act as if they don’t know each other. Janine hangs out with the cool kids in the parking lot, the ones that smoke cigarettes and skip classes. Holly eats her lunch with two girls much like herself: studious and plain. Yet within the confines of Henderson’s Pharmacy, Janine and Holly are friends, even allies.
By Claire Ibarra2 years ago in Fiction
The Foreigner
I watch from a bench at Barkhor Square, as the children play, chasing a stray rooster. Suddenly they are running up the road to greet a stranger walking into town. The foreigner walks up the cobblestone street with three sherpas and delights in the attention, handing out candies to the youngsters. I observe him as he gazes into every shop window, and to every street vendor he smiles and gives a nod.
By Claire Ibarra2 years ago in Fiction
Desert Spirits
Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. Mountains lurked in the far off distance. Large, free form cacti dotted the dry landscape, across flat lands of sand and rock. At the beginning, Angelica thought the figures she saw were cacti. They stood tall and human-like with bulky arms stretched out. But the longer she stared, she could see the spirits sway and twirl, with smoky arms waving above their heads in a strange dance. The moon was always full above the hazy clouds, and the twinkling stars were like cloaks of jewels adorning the dark spirits.
By Claire Ibarra3 years ago in Fiction
Scraps
My grandfather was a woodworker. I grew up in his old house with its pine-paneled walls, warped oak floors, surrounded by towering, twisted trees. My childhood was permeated with the scent of forest. We lived in sunny Orange County. Our home sat low and dark like a shadow in the bright, clean suburb. The carport had piles of lumber, two by fours, and mounds of scrap, which my grandfather used to repair, refinish, and restore.
By Claire Ibarra3 years ago in Poets
Heat Stress. V+ Fiction Award Winner.
It was an Indian summer almost as hot as that record-breaking year when coyotes came out of the wilderness in droves looking for reprieve. The animals went crazy from the heat, and in some cases gnawed their way through screen doors and broke windows to get indoors. Others ran in front of moving cars to end their misery.
By Claire Ibarra4 years ago in Fiction
The Party
Bonnie dreamed of the perfect birthday party. Perfection was a bowling-pizza party or a slumber party with a movie and makeovers. When she had invited four girls on the last day of school before summer break, she didn’t think they’d remember to come. When she handed Jenny and her entourage the handmade invitations, Jenny said, “I’ll try to make it, but we are probably going to Disney World.” Jenny’s friends quickly affirmed that they would be busy, too. That was the problem with a July birthday.
By Claire Ibarra5 years ago in Fiction
