At night I oil the door, whose hinges have been squeaking all year, and in the morning when I open it, they’re quiet. The rest is the same. I don’t wake anyone. The cat follows me into the bathroom. After I sit down, he jumps onto my lap, which is half-fleece, half-skin. Each paw, cold as a child’s nose, lands at a slightly different moment. He circles for a few beats, presses his paws into the tops of my thighs, an action that wakes and soothes me. Within seconds, his paws are warm. They … [Read more...] about Cat’s-Eye
Jennifer Tseng
The Origins of “The Window” & Short Story Writing Prompts
As readers and writers we frequently wonder how individual stories begin, and is not often that we are provided an answer. In the spring issue of American Short Fiction, we published a strange, hilarious, and heartbreaking story by Jennifer Tseng called "The Window." In the story, the narrator—a young lesbian who works as an editor for a travel agency—watches through the window across from her office desk. The figure of a distant woman captivates her and begins to embody her desires for romantic … [Read more...] about The Origins of “The Window” & Short Story Writing Prompts