Review: The Pursuit of Cool
The Pursuit of Cool, by Robb Skidmore Reviewed by Gila Heller, Assistant Editor The Pursuit of Cool, Robb Skidmore’s debut novel, follows young adult protagonist Lance Rally through his turbulent college career in the 1980s. Lance, who comes from a prestigious, stuffed-shirt family in suburban Virginia, befriends Ian LaCoss, the product of a divorced hippie couple in California. While Lance enters Langford College with every intention of succeeding academically, Ian doesn’t seem to care about grades, and he hijacks Lance onto a path of excessive drinking, recreational drug use, and chasing girls, all in the name of— as the title suggests— the elusive “cool” moniker. Lance succumbs to peer pressure every time, ...
April 17, 2012The Wrong Kind of Perfect
By Callan Gies There they were, those dark curls he knew so well; spilling out across white porcelain, dangling over a trembling limb, and lurching with the dizzy sphere they had sprung from. At first that was all he saw. Though his mind willed him to run all his body could manage was a stumble forward, or was it back? Whichever direction it was, with that step the image grew broader. He saw the frail legs, once long and envied, now somehow shrunken by the cold tile and he stumbled again. The curls shifted slightly and he found himself holding his breath. He managed to ...
March 21, 2012I Won’t Feel Guilty
By Harjibhai Kerai A lady teacher named Sarah, aged 22, smart and beautiful, takes her troubles to a nearby psychiatrist and pledges, “Please doctor help me!" “What about!" the doctor asks her. “You see doctor, every time I date with one of the aged teachers in the school, I end up in bed with him. Then afterwards, I feel guilty and depressed for few days just because I am married and think, I should not do that." ...
March 21, 2012The Plucky, Lucky Grasshopper
The Plucky, Lucky Grasshopper By Lucy Redding On a summer’s drive down ’95, A hitchhiker took his place. He was browny-green and barely seen, Till noticed by keen-eyed Grace. A little grasshopper, just one inch long, Apparently wanted to come along, As we drove to town from country. He must have thought he was running late – Perhaps for dinner, perhaps for date – So as we zoomed down the interstate, He managed to cling to the window. Grace and I were safe inside, But much more daring, he chose to ride Outside, on the window. How did he do it? We started to wonder, For surely ...
February 28, 2012The Black Hole
The Black Hole By Jerry Guarino Sometimes you walk right into the devil’s lair and don’t realize it until it’s too late. What may seem like a perfectly safe activity can turn into a nightmare that can last for years. We have all fallen into this trap. Thousands of messages have drugged us into the belief that this is a place of refuge, a haven in the midst of chaos, a respite from the storm of life. This false sense of security has sent millions into the abyss. Very few have survived a visit here and even fewer have had their ...
February 24, 2012Abraham
Abraham By Debby Buchanan Abraham wiped the soot from his face, his fingers curled into fists. He watched the sparks from the pile of ashes shoot into the air only to burn out. His life, or what was left of it, was in those sparks. This land, barn and house, passed down in his family for a hundred years, held the blood, sweat and tears of his ancestors. Their hard work and effort coated every inch of the farm as they worked to make a living from the earth. The fruit trees planted by his ...
February 20, 2012The Window
The Window By Sofia Benares I sense movement from the corner of my eye. A twitch. It is nothing more than that at first, but as I focus my gaze the twitch increases in intensity; the being vibrates, pulsates, following the tremors of the transparent surface to which it clings. Helplessly, I watch as these tremors unhinge its grip and the being slides down… down towards a smaller kinsman which it instantly engulfs in the manner of a phagocyte. Now, almost doubled in mass, the phagocyte slides down further and faster, engulfing even more helpless beings along its perilous route. From above comes another twitch; ...
February 16, 2012“Resilience” Writing Contest: Share Your Story or Poem of Triumph Over Adversity
Watch Me Bounce is now accepting entries for its 2012 Resilience contest. We are looking for stories and poems(both real-life and/or fictional) and poems about “resilience,” or triumph over stress and adversity. Stories and poems can be about about characters coping with stress, anger or fear, steering through challenges. Themes Stories and poems can be about one or more of the following three themes: a. Surviving: getting through adversity b. Bouncing back from adversity c. Thriving: Bouncing Back and learning or growing from the ...
February 7, 2012The Tempest
The Tempest By Jayanthi Manoj On the wet sands of an unknown island draped with strange sights, I sit beside my ruined ship and I write, “My Master! I adore you! You made me survive The Tempest.” A few minutes back under the turbid sky, I captained a deck with pride. A ship with fortunes for life sealed with my ego, gallantly rode over the tamed waves. I floated in a mood of arrogance and clinched on my closest pride, gently sailed on the feathery waves. The sound of destitute were queer, my pathetic pride perched on my peacock peak, hailed haughty smiles across infirmities. I jeered the poor, derided the low as I passed small ferries ...
January 10, 2012Never Learn
Never Learn By Salina Tesfay My heart was pacing at what seemed like an inhuman rate. At that moment I had no idea whether I would survive. What I did know, was that my need to find the good in people had put me in that situation. Actually, my little brother’s drug dealing is what put me in that situation. Him and his friends, I wanted to change them, save them from dying on the streets. The funny thing is I thought I did. “I sto-, we stopped” were the words that fell out of Bo’s mouth and filled me with joy. I found plans on Bo’s desk, two days later, ...
December 13, 2011