"I woke with a start, clutching Uncle Morris’s body like to protect it. I hadn’t been outside since the whitemen dragged me into the cave. The cool air blowing in and the blackness at the opening..."
from "Uncle Morris’s Body" by Camille F. Forbes
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-cam...
If you haven't already, please check out the truly outstanding fiction in our special issue, showcasing the writers of Kimbilio! With an introduction by Board Chair David Haynes! kimbilio.com
leonliteraryreview.com
"...Shutting the door hard, she listened for the bolt to click into place. For a moment, it was like the knock never happened. The silence returned. Neat, heavy. But it felt wrong this time..."
from "15D" by Victoria Palmer
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-vic...
"Steam is rising off the shores of Limbe as the surf rushes forward. The beach is in an uproar, which is a surprise to me, because I was told it isn’t tourist season. The early morning fishermen are yelling and pointing..."
from "Komba" by Jason Harris
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-jas...
"It was often like that on the island; talking to one was talking to all. Indeed, held aloft on the white-shirted shoulders of six men in flowing robes and matching turbans was balanced a silvery blue casket..."
from "Digging Two Graves" by Denise Laidler
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-den...
"...Winter is the only season in that part of the country, so he looked forward to parking his car inside. Except there was a dream in there. A big one. Nestled as comfortable as swallows under the eaves..."
fr "Where Dreams Go" by Mary McLaughlin Slechta
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-mar...
"The thought of souls in a tree filled me with more wonder than dread. It seemed farther away than before but when I got to it, breathing heavily, I put out my hands. I touched the bark with my palms...
from "The Silk Cotton Tree " by Wandeka Gayle
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-wan...
"Something has been nagging her all morning, something just beyond her clear knowing, something almost imperceptible, like dissipating smoke or a shift in temperature"
fr "The Visitation (Chapter 2 from “Of Mothers & Daughters”)" by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-dah...
"You remember exiting JFK from Kingston into your first snow at 10 years old, and you remember that no matter how thick your coats got every winter, you still felt emotionally ill-equipped for Brooklyn’s coldness..."
from "Balance" by Leesa Fenderson
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-lee...
"She stared at the wide miles of carpeted hallway that led, she knew, to more carpeted hallways, to escalators and conference rooms and throngs of people talking about writing. The baby kicked her bladder. ..."
from "Not Today" by Shinelle L. Espaillat
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-shi...
"There are ways in which I think I can shut the door on your existence. I do not choose those. I am the snake, charmed by the melody of your admitted wrongs when all I have known is silence..."
from "How I Love My Neighbor" by Tara Baldridge
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-34-tar...
Special Issue 34 featuring Kimbilio Writers!
Intro: David Haynes
Tara Baldridge
N. Jamiyla Chisholm
Shinelle L. Espaillat
Leesa Fenderson
Camille F. Forbes
Wandeka Gayle
Jason Harris
Denise Laidler
Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
Victoria Palmer
Mary McLaughlin Slechta
Debra Stone
leonliteraryreview.com
"Without thinking, you’ve waded
deep into the pond, turned your back
on the comforts of the tranquil hillside
to face the astonishing sun..."
from "Anger" by Susan Trofimow
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-sus...
"...the snow geese, warblers and wrens
will fly home for the winter.
those things like starfishes in air,
called daffodils will bloom in spring,
the world didn't wait for my father..."
from "We Laughed" by Abiodun Salako
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-abi...
"I’m on the phone with the
mental health nurse
talking about the weather
when I first learn of the
lambing snow..."
from "Sneachd beag nan uan" by Laura Mills
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-lau...
"...we never jumped off the cliffs at 1:37 AM in Avignon; you never reached out for me; the water was never cold; the world was never dark; you never told me me i’m certain, i’ll never love like this again..."
from "Never Never" by Jamie Kim
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-jam...
"...worrying’s all abstract til you’re pacing the ward waiting out the ectomy and suddenly you’re filthy stinking rich with time diving in scrooge mcduck and drowning in it..."
from "nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine days" by Zachary Lorico Hertz
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-zac...
"...your gabardine pockets gleam. Empty them
of offerings: paperclip, wrapper or use your flashlight to show
your heart beneath the couch cushions were you left it
last night..."
from "A Sign From the Gods via WhatsApp" by Ashley Oakes
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-ash...
"...Watch steam wither. Wonder
if I can bring anything back with held breath,
if I can hold together long enough..."
"At 23, I Reported a Case of Sexual Harassment and Was Asked to Meet About It a Week Later"
by Dana Tenille Weekes
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-dan...
"My grandmother has known war as a staple
in the pantry you never run out of,
like jasmine rice or green lentils,
or the thick viscous olive oil she harvests
which doubles as ointment for deep wounds..."
from "Something Useful" by Moudi Sbeity
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-mou...
"...the band,
more southern rock than country twang, sings
of first kisses and beer and church, the words
land soft and sweet—expected but lovely,
like the snow falling beyond these walls..."
"At the Cotillion Ballroom in Wichita, Kansas" Janice Northerns
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-jan...
"And for so long I wasn’t anything. A pile of rocks to the side of the trail, might be a tiny grave or some kid’s collection. Circles in the mushrooms at the edge of the woods. Heartbeats through clothes..."
from "The Wild Hunt" by Jasmina Kuenzli
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-jas...
"Our Pacific’s a pizzazz of suds and anchovies,
the sky of stars and sprites. What am I
yapping about? Everyone wants something—
brain, heart, courage. Family in Kansas.
The Cairn Terrier once between us."
fr "The Second State of Matter" Kenton K. Yee
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-ken...
"...You love dorks. Geeks that smell like pimple cream and have large glasses that make their eyes bob and bulge like silky Betas. You count the pleats on their tan pants and their tight white briefs consume your nightlife..."
"Crushing on Nerds" Amanda Chiado
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-ama...
"...Vietnam was burnt foliage and
fracture, bright birds I had no names for,
dank smoke we couldn’t exhale. All
those still bodies floating facedown
downstream, husks of belief.
My hand unsteadied..."
from "Argosy" by Debra Allbery
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-33-deb...
It's alive!
Issue 33 has frighteningly good new poetry from:
Debra Allbery
Ashley Oakes
Amanda Chiado
Zachary Lorico Hertz
Jamie Kim
Jasmina Kuenzli
Laura Mills
Janice Northerns
Abiodun Salako
Moudi Sbeity
Susan Trofimow
Dana Tenille Weekes
Kenton K. Yee
leonliteraryreview.com
"...When he has the coffee in his hand he turns and looks at me. I can feel his eyes on me as he walks by, but not in the way that you look at a face you recognize. No narrowed eyes or tilted head. He just looks..."
from "Mug" by Tali Libenstein
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-32-tal...
"My grandfather sits in his eroded fabric chair, drinking tea from the pot I unearthed from the pantry. His fingers rest like sardines between where the handle detached from the mug..."
from "Mona Lisa" by Claire Breslow
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-32-cla...
"For our sixth date, I take him to the field behind my home where the music grazes, swirls of song hovering over patches of grass. “They need the energy to grow,” I explain..."
from "Prelude" by Chelsea Hanna Cohen @chelseahannac.bsky.social
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-32-che...
"It was the 90s, baby. My first job was wearing a fire hydrant suit for a short-lived novelty shop in the mall called District Red. I was supposed to stand out at the entrance, but I had just enough pride to not do that.
fr "District Red" by Andy Bodinger
leonliteraryreview.com/issue-32-and...
