Tia Clark’s story, “Nutcracker,” opens our current issue. Set in a Modell’s Sporting Goods store in one of New York City’s shabbier suburbs, the story is told in the sharp, funny, and frequently affecting voice of a teenaged girl trying to define herself at the edge of a brave new world of independence and sexuality. As Shelly attempts to reconcile the dull daily grind of her outer world with the sizzle of her fantasies, she finds herself suddenly unsure in which space she feels more like herself. In “Nutcracker” we meet a fresh and surprising new voice, and yet the story feels intimately familiar. Here’s Tia Clark, in a segment produced by our digital editor Andrew Bales, reading the first few pages of Issue 57.
Thanks for listening in to the podcast. You can find Tia’s entire story, along with others from Antonya Nelson, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Matthew Neill Null, and Rob Roensch, by ordering a copy of the issue, here.
Tia Clark grew up in several New York City suburbs, but currently teaches, writes, and plays laser tag in Bloomington, IN. Her work can be found in FiveChapters, Fourteen Hills, and BLACKBERRY: a magazine.
This podcast features music by the Austin band Borrisokane.