stories and essays
The Climax Forest
Narrative Magazine
Karen didn’t want to invite him, but Andy did. "Pete drinks too much," she said. She was standing at the stove, stirring a pot of fish stew. But Andy insisted. "We can’t not invite him." …
The Cross Word
theAtlantic.com
Late at night, when we were small, Sara sat on my bed, whispering into my ear. Tell me something I don’t know about you, Mickey, she’d say. Sara loved secrets. The everyday didn’t interest her at all. It had to be secrets. …
CUTTINGS
tsarina
I've taken some of Bob Hope and a little Eternal Youth. Spring Passion didn't do well this year so I opted for All That Glitters. I've had no success with Dog Days or Tropical Storm. But my heroes -- Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, and JFK - are all in bloom. …
On the Brink
Conjunctions
I'm standing in the jungle, ankle-deep in mud. It's dark and hot and the heat seeps through my camouflage gear. My boots, my flak jacket and holster, everything is wet. I hear Kim breathing nearby. She's in camouflage as well, black face under her eyes. Her breath is deep and, no matter how many times we’ve done this thing, she's always a little nervous before we go in. …
The Neighborhood Watch
Boulevard Magazine
It began with some acts of vandalism - eggs tossed, bicycles stolen or borrowed might be a better word. Taken and ridden around for a day, then abandoned elsewhere on the island. Nothing serious, but we'd never had anything like this beofre so people talked about it. We're that kind of community. We chat about people's lives, worry about an approaching storm, or a fire that isn't under our control. Now we talked about these misdemeanors. …
Possum
Post Road Magazine
I didn’t see it, but Marisa did. At least that’s what she tells me one morning as I’m dragging out the trash. “You can’t believe what was in your garbage last night” are her exact words. It’s the kind of thing Marisa would see. She sits on her stoop late at night—in her bathrobe, no less—smoking or talking to her boyfriend, more like yelling at him, or them, on her cell phone, though I’ve asked her, and so has James, to keep it down.…
- Anita Shreve"I loved it. The writing is superb, and the tension Morris creates between Andrea and Loretta keeps the reader anxious - a beautiful example of the thread of literary suspense."
- Jodi Picoult"The River Queen is my new favorite book. I wish I'd been the one to write something so flawless, so honest and so resonant."
author of
My Sister's Keeper