Driving in the Dark

by Jo-Anne Rosen He knew it would be a mistake to let Bella drive. She was hard on cars and his was past its prime. “You don’t want to drive all day, Charles,” she said. “How far is it to Joshua Tree? You’ll need a break.” “I’ll be fine,” he said. “You need a holiday

Summer 2023

Summer 2023 Dedicated to Nicholas Johnson and Maureen Holm, co-founders of BigCityLit To the Lighthouse by Nicholas Johnson Poetry Fiction Nonfiction Reviews

This Time

by J. David I hear a muffled ping from underneath my parka as I drive to school. It’s a text message that will have to wait until I get to my desk. While I’m wondering who it could be, a call from an unidentified number rings through the radio. When I answer, an electronic voice

Lucy Needs Work

by Sarah Sarai  i. Someone is tapping on the professional wood of Lucy’s professional workstation on the eighteenth floor of the professional law firm. She looks up to see a tall, skinny man, a legal-looking man, a lawyer, in fact. He wears a loose black suit, a suit not picked off an $80-or-less rack, yet

Fires

by Les Bohem “Someone like you should not be allowed to start any fires.” — David Bowie, “Win” My friend Peter Woolcott was incredibly good-looking. The great grandson of a duke, he had the classic features of a prince, with a combination of arrogance and vulnerability that was amazingly appealing. He did not carry himself

The Orchid

by Cullen McMahon What is the word that describes the feeling you have when, on returning home Mother’s Day morning with bagels and coffee and, on the passenger seat beside you, an orchid (the last available orchid, in fact, $89.50, “a beaut” said the sales girl), you park in the garage and, because the garage