Nowadays, deep space exploration rides a fine line between fiction and reality. New discoveries are made almost daily while technology rapidly catches up with the wildest imaginings of the most creative authors and futurologists. And yet, space exploration is not without its risks and consequences. Muir tackles this problem in his second contribution to our Short(er) Fiction series, offering a compelling vision of humanity found in the blackness of space. Clarity in Darkness, profound as it is brief, can be read using the link below, and don't forget to check out Short(er) Fiction Volumes 1 and 2 at The Blasted Tree Store!
Featured Story - Swimming Lessons by Andrea Bridgeman
Summer is finally here, and for many students and 20-somethings this means one thing only: it's time to party! These are the magic days of one's youth, that amorphous period of transition from the recklessness of our teenage years to the responsibility of adulthood. But sometimes, both in life and in social gatherings, it can feel as though you've been tossed right in the deep end and left to figure things out on your own. Swimming Lessons, our first chapbook-length short story of 2015, is more than just the tale of one such party - it's Bridgeman's ingenious metaphor for the tides of life rising up around you.
READ SWIMMING LESSONS
Featured Story - Oranges by Bea Keeler
What is it about shopping for groceries which makes the process so damn stressful? Picking the perfect fruit can be quite a chore, especially with another shopper breathing down your neck as you rummage through the produce. Oranges, Keeler's first addition to our Short(er) Fiction series, is a glimpse into one of those explosive conflicts with a stranger which is over before you know it.
READ ORANGES
And don't forget, from now until the end of March you will receive 20% off Short(er) Fiction Volumes 1 and 2 by entering the code SpringFiction during checkout at The Blasted Tree Store!
Featured Story - Foxish by Mitch Findlay
Fox"ish\, a. Foxlike - like a fox. As in clever. But how clever is the fox who's been hit by a car? Perhaps more clever than you would expect! Meet a silver-tongued creature from a realm of magic realism in Mitch Findlay's first Blasted Tree short story, at once funny, endearing, dark, and touching. Findlay's exuberant use of language tugs disarmingly at the veil between here and the hereafter, playing foxlike with your expectations about death and the nature of communication.
READ FOXISH
Foxish is part of our Short(er) Fiction catalog, showcasing great Canadian fiction less than 2500 words. Our first published collection in the series, Short(er) Fiction Vol. 1, is now available from The Blasted Tree Store. Foxish is soon to follow in our forthcoming Volume 2.
Featured Story - Genesis: the Old-Fashioned Way by Soili Smith
After hearing Genesis: the Old-Fashioned Way at a reading a few months back, we fell in love - with Smith, whose vivacious stage-presence had the room in stitches, with this story, and somewhat surprisingly, with God. Turns out He's pretty easy to relate to, and when you hear the effort He put into the universe for us, well, you're sure to fall in love with Him too. The Blasted Tree is proud to feature God's true story of creation, Genesis: the Old-Fashioned Way, as told now by award-winning author Soili Smith. Prepare to meet your maker!
READ GENESIS: THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY
Featured Story - Two Fifteen by Lambert Muir
Two Fifteen is comedic microfiction which begs the question: "How do we judge the truth?" In Lambert Muir's debut on The Blasted Tree, we meet an inquisitive narrator with an untrustworthy memory. His tale of a tainted burger and a dimensional rift may or may not be cause for alarm, but is this memory what it seems? Perhaps it was only a hallucination. By the end, Two Fifteen will have you wondering if you can believe any story, even the one told by your own senses.
READ TWO FIFTEEN
Featured Story - Mud by Bea Keeler
To kick off The Blasted Tree's online program, we are featuring Bea Keeler's hilarious and haunting short story "Mud," which documents the final day in the life of the repulsive yet engrossing Ian, a somewhat valued employee of Teleprompt Plus and an all-around scumbag. Keeler's dark and raunchy humor will have you laughing in spite of yourself, and her earnest treatment of an unlikable misanthrope may even get you on Ian's side. Sharp, punchy, and more than a little sinister, "Mud" is the perfect way to kick off your work-week. Happy Monday!