May 29, 2023

Impact! A Sci-Fi Trilogy by C.K. Westbrook

Impact! A Sci-Fi Trilogy by C.K. Westbrook

We recently attended a book fair where we met the author, C.K. Westbrook, and were intrigued by “The Impact Series,” a science fiction trilogy: The Shooting, The Collision, and The Judgment. In each volume the story, told a day at a time, is that of Kate Stellute, who works for the United States Space Force in the near future and while out for a run is abducted by an alien. She becomes its media connection to the people of earth, who are warned they must change their ways or be obliterated. As the author writes: Life will never be the same for Kate. After almost every gun owner worldwide turns their weapon on themselves in a terrifying fifteen-minute window, Kate Stellute, like the rest of the population, searches for answers. The mass shooting is enormous…

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May 27, 2023

Staying Safe Is Not A Random Act

Staying Safe Is Not A Random Act

Barista Jason Brick’s New Book About Family Safety We are constantly reminding others to stay safe, but it took our own Jason Brick to put some weight behind the idea with his work and his new book, Safest Family on the Block: 101 Tips, Tricks, Habits, and Hacks to Protect Your Family at Home, at School, and in the World. Just published, it’s already a #1 best seller on Amazon, and for good reason. We’re starting Memorial Day weekend which is perennially a three-day accident waiting to happen. We cannot be too careful on bikes, in cars, swimming, barbequeing – anything, really. In this book, author Jason distills his knowledge into important, simple tips any parent can use to protect their loved ones at home, at school, at work, and abroad . . . all…

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May 4, 2023

SPECULARIS: A New Art Exhibition in Boston

SPECULARIS: A New Art Exhibition in Boston

Steve Sangapore, a Boston artist and formerly Fine Arts Barista at The Fictional Cafe, is one of the most innovative creators it’s our privilege to know. He paints, sculpts, writes philosophy and hosts fascinating exhibits. In all his creative pursuits he’s always welcome at The Fictional Cafe. This week, Steve and fellow artist Rob Sullivan open a new art exhibit at Boston’s Fountain Street Gallery. This ambitious show of painting and sculpture brings to life its title, a Latin term that directly translates to “you watch” or “you look.” The work invites viewers in with its combination of traditional and modern practices and, echoing the contemporary specular, involves aspects of lenses and mirrors. Whether communicating transparency, the beauty of form or human spirituality, it is as if the artist is portraying images through a lens….

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April 27, 2023

Our National Poetry Month Finale: Vera West

Our National Poetry Month Finale: Vera West

Please welcome Vera West, The Fictional Cafe’s Poet in Residence, who shares her thoughts about our National Poetry Month celebration: chickadee  I’m not always angry but  I am mostly melancholy,  thinking about those  little potholes of memories   riddling a twisting road  of disappointment;  these memories jar me:  pancakes, carnivals,   front yard barbecues,   black fridays and   pastel pink egg hunts,  nicknames no one else called me;  these memories always jarred me,  they’re so different than   the standard of both  back then and now.   ** thinking of you Things you did right: encourage me to be authentic, drive me around town, instill independence, and push high expectations. [I want to be somewhere in the middle, between the good and the bad, between emotion and logic, but I’m stuck in extremes. either I miss you terribly or hate you…

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April 25, 2023

Week Four: Eric Forsbergh, Susan Simonds, and Eric Goodman

Week Four: Eric Forsbergh, Susan Simonds, and Eric Goodman

Two Erics? How did that happen? Is it a coincidence or kismet? Let’ give ’em both a read before we decide. Here’s our first, Eric Forsbergh. The Love Poetry of Eric Forsbergh My Lucky Jacket  My lucky jacket drapes me pleasingly:  a cross between the wings of victory  and an asbestos fire suit.  A cloth talisman,  it buffs my confidence   to polished brass.  After all, I wore it  during our initial kiss.  It’s my fabric shield   the eyes of trolls roll off.  On my motorcycle, in the rain,  I swear this jacket wards me   from a lightning strike.  You’re my loving skeptic.  You claim it’s not a coffin or a cure.  You claim what counts  will rise within my skin.  My lucky jacket? Some days  it’s like a rescue blanket made of foil:  shiny and…

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April 18, 2023

“The Great Adverb War” by Russ Lopez

“The Great Adverb War” by Russ Lopez

Time out from our celebration of National Poetry Month for a fun, witty short story about the nemesis of all writers: the adverb. Or is it? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states, “Adverbs are words that usually modify—that is, they limit or restrict the meaning of—verbs. They may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, phrases, or even entire sentences. Got it? Read on. The Great Adverb War A Short Story by Russ Lopez To nearly everyone’s surprise, the most contentious divide among Provincetown’s writers was not fiction vs. nonfiction, prose or poetry, or even the need for an Oxford comma, though Benji Camarillo’s husband had famously threatened to file for divorce over his refusal to use one after the penultimate noun in a series. No. The large, historic writing community in town violently splintered over adverbs.  The war…

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April 18, 2023

Week Three: John Kucera, Jaya Abraham, Gopal Lahiri

Week Three: John Kucera, Jaya Abraham, Gopal Lahiri

Poet and fabulist John Kucera entertains us with two poems and two fables, an ancient form of narrative intended to entertain and instruct. Compass  Clouds and storms hover  Over us like a lost thought.  A strange idea we once had to build a log cabin together  and explore worlds beyond our own.  But our lives were surmounted by menial tasks  and we never got around to our plans like the campfire and the sunsets  and the paintings of a dry winter and the umbrella of youth closing slowly but surely on all these things we remember later  in our circles of routine.  We were both deserted but they were also forgotten.  Our plans, still changing, and guiding us today like the compass above a rooftop and the wolf we patted at the Indian neighbor’s house,…

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April 14, 2023

Jeff Corwin: Trust in Vision

Jeff Corwin: Trust in Vision

Over the years, Jeff Corwin has taken photos out of a helicopter, in jungles, on oil rigs and an aircraft carrier. Assignments included portraits of famous faces, including Bill Gates and Groucho Marx and photos for well-known corporate clients like Microsoft, Apple, Rolls-Royce and Time/Life. After 40+ years as a commercial photographer, Corwin has turned his discerning eye to fine art photography.  Corwin has carried his vision forward, to see past the clutter and create photographs grounded in design. Simplicity, graphic forms and configurations that repeat are what personally resonate. Visual triggers are stark and isolated vistas: a black asphalt road cutting for miles through harvested wheat; an empty, snowy field with a stream creating a curve to a single tree; or a small barn, the roof barely visible above a barren hillside.   Trusting his…

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April 11, 2023

Week Two: AJ Huffman, Morouje Sherif, Charles Remmelkamp

Week Two: AJ Huffman, Morouje Sherif, Charles Remmelkamp

We’re so delighted to welcome A. J. Huffman and her poetry to Fictional Cafe. A.J. is a poet and freelance writer in Daytona Beach, Florida.  She has published 27 collections and chapbooks of poetry.  In addition, she has published her work in numerous national and international literary journals.  She is currently the editor for Kind of a Hurricane Press literary journals.      Two Boards Don’t Always Equal An X  I wear his depression for hours.  Like a crown of duller thorns, it does not bleed me.  But breeds a bizarre dissension.  I understand the gray it is shading. Around my edges it appears.  Colder than his.  He shudders. Mistaking the chill for lore.  It is not your soul leaving your body. I sigh.  (It is my soul trying to breathe.)  You worry I am not strong/safe/alive enough to hold you.  You are wrong (Such…

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April 6, 2023

“Popet,” A Short Story by Pierre Boodhoo

“Popet,” A Short Story by Pierre Boodhoo

Where is the line drawn between fantasy and reality? Between what we see and what we imagine? Read on as Pierre Boodhoo, in his first story for The Fictional Café, takes us on this exploration. Popet “Ayesha, my popet, the eve is upon us. It is time to awaken.” Mother’s voice sparks the fire. The embodiment of Mother’s love spreads within her as limbs come alive. After a few blinks, the blurriness fades. The pale, sharp features of Mother’s face hide between strands of green and black hair as she comes into focus. Mother captivates her. “Mother!” Ayesha throws her arms around Mother’s waist.  Herhand pats Ayesha’s head and she beams. Ayesha releases Mother and waits patiently. Mother straightens her clothes and dusts herself off. Ayesha imagines herself in a mature body resembling Mother. If…

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