Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Chapters.
The Taste of Poverty
The rural south in the US has a way about it that pulls you in. It's sandy rivers with swampy ponds. It's red clay cliffs near vast lakes. It's field of cotton blistering under the sun. It’s rows and rows of pine forests, with amber needles where the grass should be and tall dark trunks looming up over you. Due to their fast growth, the lumber industry booms there. The really straight pines become powerline poles across the state. The less describe become boards and the really crooked are turned into wood chips or particle board. I can look at a pine tree and tell you what it will be cut for. We had our own land that was cut for timber, but it wasn't replanted. The seedlings cost money and took too long to return it.
By Laura Lann2 years ago in Chapters
Under the Florida Sun. Top Story - September 2023.
Prologue- June 23, 2014 A long time ago someone, history remembers as unknown said. "Under the Florida sun is the best place to be." I think they were right. Because there's no place, I'd rather be than sitting on the shores of Grasshopper Lake with my toes dancing in warm grains of sugar sand feeling lake water run up along my feet before circling around my ankles while my eyes look out across the ripples of water in front of me for gators breaking the surface like branches floating.
By The Invisible Writer2 years ago in Chapters
Cyprus: Where History and Identity Collide
Introduction: Cyprus, a sun-kissed Mediterranean jewel, has long been a land where history and identity collide, where the echoes of ancient civilizations resonate in the present day. Nestled in the eastern Mediterranean, this island has been a crossroads of cultures, a place where diverse peoples have left their indelible marks. As a writer embarking on the journey of creating the next Great Cypriot Novel, understanding Cyprus's complex tapestry of history, culture, and identity is essential.
By Tereza Giannouri2 years ago in Chapters
A Drop in the Ocean
The tight walled labyrinth of brick terraces had loosened to stretches of bay windowed semis in magnolia, beige and cream, flashes of green glimpsed down side alleys, creeping into front gardens, and eventually garnishing horseshoe drives before taking over entirely, fading from the vivid hues of tended lawn to the dryly yellowing pallor of ripening wheat as the flat fields opened out on either side of the road. Lydia knew she was late without needing to glance at the clock on the car’s dashboard, but she did, as if casting time a stern look might stem its advance, allow her to catch up, feel less at its mercy. It was the same look she used when the children threatened to unravel her, and it didn’t work then, either. The morning had been a difficult one, and on her knotted shoulder, the blue cotton of her dress was still dark with Jack’s tears. Maybe his snot too. “It is what it is, I’m doing the best that I can”, she thought, and tuned the radio in search of some music she could sing too, re-set her mind.
By Hannah Moore2 years ago in Chapters
Dear Leonardo. Runner-Up in Next Great [American] Novel Challenge.
One must accept the 1990s as a formative decade in the fabric of Americana. As American as the Elk, so too is the tale of a young midwestern girl writing fan-mail to her favorite actor. Written from Fiona's perspective, reading and reliving those memories as an adult.
By Abbey June Schwartz2 years ago in Chapters
Breaking Horizon
Chapter 1: The Last Horizon Elliot McKenna was not, by any standard measure, a hero. He was a gruff and wrinkled man of 58, with hair receding faster than the glaciers he had once studied. An atmospheric scientist by training and an adventurer by compulsion, Elliot had spent the better years of his youth traveling to the Earth’s most uninhabitable zones. Now, confined to a chair in his drafty Boston apartment, he was left only with the company of his regrets and an old ham radio that crackled more than it spoke.
By Stevie Johnson2 years ago in Chapters
One-Pot Chicken and Cabbage Soup. Content Warning.
Step-by-step instructions to Shred Cabbage for the Soup With regards to setting up the cabbage for your flavorful one-pot chicken soup, destroying it into fine, uniform pieces is vital. Follow these steps toward accomplishing the ideal cabbage shreds:
By John Biz242 years ago in Chapters
Un-American Girl
Six-year-old me did not understand why I had to go to the little room away from my classmates. Six-year-old me could not comprehend what all the hubbub was about; did I not speak well enough? Was something wrong with me? No, that couldn't be. Surely my parents would have noticed if something were amiss. I didn't need translation assistance; I spoke English, but my British English did not fare well with the American school system.
By Marilyn Glover2 years ago in Chapters
The Next Great Guyanese Novel
The crowing rooster in the neighbor’s yard two houses down signals it’s morning. The air at this time of day is cool and fresh as it blows in from the Atlantic coast making the breeze from the stand fan beside the bed an additional delight. It is quite beautiful at this time of morning and though there is light the sun is still somewhat absent from the sky. It has not fully made it’s appearance and there is a cast of dim light on the homes, not bright enough to drown out the street lights or lights on the houses.
By Julia Alfred2 years ago in Chapters
Save One Bullet. Content Warning.
When I got home Tom’s car was in the driveway and very few lights were on. Tom was sitting in the living room with a beer in hand. The coffee table held a greasy pizza box and a half dozen empty beer bottles were strewn carelessly on the table.
By Tina D'Angelo2 years ago in Chapters
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