james As many large things do, this one started small. Those working to lose weight noticed the pounds coming off more easily. Parents noticed carrying their babies and toddlers didn’t tire their backs as quickly as before. Hairdressers’ feet hurt just little less than usual at the end of the day. These and thousands of other … Read moreLIGHTWEIGHTS
The car horn had been going off and on for days. Intermittent without external stimulus. Neighbors called the police who tracked down the owner and knocked on the door. “Is this your vehicle doing the honking?” “Oh yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been meaning to fix it.” “You need to fix it now. Getting lots … Read moreGame Over
The Prompt: Choose a song that mattered to you at sixteen (or invent one, if you prefer). Write a braided piece (900–1,100 words) that alternates between: You may quote no more than one lyric, and it must be six words or fewer. Include one sentence that appears exactly three times in the piece, unchanged each time. (Place it … Read moreCar Wash
A Green Giant Jamba Juice precariously jammed in the crook of her arm, her purse and keys in one hand, and her phone in the other, Jenny scrolled distractedly before she entered the elevator. The AI voice announced, “Doors are closing” and asked, “Where would you like to go?” The voice had a youthful, relaxed … Read moreReboot
In a fog of diesel fumes machines surrounded the bushes, shaking their bases and whapping their stems with spinning tines to loosen every morsel of fruit. Blueberries bounced into hoppers and down a funnel to the flats waiting below. Bush told Bud this day would come. &&& “The Great Gatherer returns each year to collect … Read moreFaith in the Trenches
Prompt: Use the onion headline “Unexamined Life Lived” as a tile and you piece. Write a story of 850-1200 words that takes this headline literally. Constraints: The protagonist has reached a natural pause point (end of a job, relationship, era, or routine). Reflection is available but actively avoided –no journals, therapy sessions, confessions, or mono … Read moreThe Unexamined Life, Lived
The writing prompt: A group of friends breaks into a museum to steal a single, legendary macaroni noodle. Write a one-page comedic story about what happens when they find out why it was locked away. &&& Three thieves crept quietly up narrow, spiraling flights of dark, urine-soaked stairs. Inside a tiny attic room waited a … Read moreThe Great Macaroni Heist
The writing prompt: write a one-page scene in the style of the “Valley Heat” podcast, but set in your own neighborhood (or an imagined one). Keep the tone deadpan, hyper-local, and lightly absurd. The narrator should be convinced that a small, mundane neighborhood issue is part of a much larger and deeply important investigation. Include at least … Read moreMoth Pie
The Prompt: Choose an old street photographs below. Write a scene of no more than 250 words. Halfway through, the central figure notices that their reflection no longer appears in a window or mirror. People still move around them, but no one registers their presence. End the scene at the exact moment they decide to test their reality. Corbin and … Read moreThe Color of Roses
The prompt: Begin with the line: “I didn’t realize how loud the silence would be.” Write a short piece of exactly 7 sentences. “I didn’t realize how loud the silence would be,” McGuffin said, looking wistfully out his window at the brick wall of the neighboring building. Speaking of,” Herring said, “my wheels have been squeaking lately, … Read moreMellow Drama