Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
The Girl Power Tattoo. Top Story - March 2021.
I don't look like a girl with tattoos. I mean, it's not like there's a type but if there was it wouldn't be me. When I was a kid I never liked the idea of them. When I was a teenager some of my friends (with the permission of their cool parents) got them. Still, the thought of putting something eternal on my body was never appealing to me.
By Martyna Dearing5 years ago in Viva
Fortunate
The pandemic hit hard in the small Midwestern town where Veronica lived. The population was predominantly older, and the township was already struggling financially. Walmart had moved in and killed off most of the mom-and-pop shops. Add insult to injury; now Covid-19 was killing an already dying town. Most of the county lived below the poverty level, so when the governor decreed a shutting down of stores and restaurants, the financial strain fell down hard on the townspeople like a sucker punch right to the town’s already empty and aching stomachs.
By Breanna LaMonte5 years ago in Viva
Pocket Universe
How many times would it be before Eva could tread down the bus steps without tripping over her own feet? She suspected it wouldn’t be any time soon. The slicked rubber mats had no helpful effect on her incurable clumsiness. Relenting was not characteristic of Seattle rain, notorious for cloaking the city in an inescapable fog blanket. Eva could feel the raindrops running cold trails down her cheeks as she stumbled into the open air. She could only think of the circular timeline she lived life within. There hadn’t been a day in the past five years that felt any different from this one. Each day weighed heavier on her heart, which had started to feel like a solid chunk of lead occupying her chest.
By Ariana Virani5 years ago in Viva
Mother Nature
Naomi marched up the steep gravel driveway in a fit of rage and exhaustion. She needed to clear her head, the voices had become overwhelming. All she had wanted was a little getaway in the Haliburton highlands, and yet the chaos that seemed to consume her life was inescapable. She paused at the top of the driveway, looking left then right, as she tried to steady her breathing. Both directions had luscious trees overhanging the road, which was really more like two ruts with grass growing in between. She chose left for no particular reason and forged on.
By Emily Cameron 5 years ago in Viva
Reconstructing the Norm
In honor of Black History month, I must say there is not enough ink in a box of pens to commemorate the multitude of black creators who have inspired me. While I reflect on challenges past and continuous, I can celebrate in strides the overarching progress made within the community. So much of this progress either acknowledged or overshadowed by events of the past year.
By Luna Jupiter5 years ago in Viva
What it means to be a woman
What it means to be a woman, even though it varies from country to country and from generation to generation, has the same basis for all of us. Every single one of us, that I personally know, have been told at one time or another that we are not enough of a woman. Some of us have even been told so as recently as today, the international celebration of womanhood!
By Sandra Tena5 years ago in Viva
A Shelf with No Name
A Shelf with No Name How long can you live off the excuses you make for others? The thought passed through her mind as she held the duffle bag in one hand, the strap cradled in loose fingers. She stood between the wall and her bed, gaping out into the yard through the window. The yard where her dogs chased each other around, yapping and sneezing as they fought, tails wagging, drool flying. Their snarls and sneezes were a comfort and a dagger to her soul.
By RACHEAL ANNE CAHN5 years ago in Viva
What the vote meant for me
As I ponder the meaning of my life and look back on what I achieved I turn to one of my trusted confidants, Google. I type ‘oldest woman to live’ and am cheered to discover Jeanne Louise Calment. A woman who lived to the age of 122. A hope flickers inside me. Maybe I have a lot longer to achieve all of the things I want? To actually write a bucket list and start ticking it off, but most of all to make a difference.
By Melanie Charles5 years ago in Viva
