Stories and poems that have made it into our recommended reading section are hand picked by our staff. They have been identified as exceptional pieces of writing, which warrant separate recognition.
Stories that are part of a series, or novels that have made it into this outstanding series section, are nominated by our staff and awarded by a select panel. These stories have been deemed superior as complete works and have garnered special recognition.
You are almost certainly guaranteed a good read, if you've selected a story from these offerings!
Love is like the wind, you once told me, your voice a soft caress carrying secrets on dawn's breath. We danced in its embrace, two leaves caught in a breeze, spinning together, our touch light as air, yet deep as the sky's expanse, like the passing wind,...
The summer of 1975 provided hot, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings in Detroit. Having a pool in our backyard meant late-night swims so we could go to bed and let the box fan in the window blow air on our wet hair, helping to cool us off enough to sleep....
I slipped on my moccasins and walked to my desk where I gathered my notebook and psychology textbook. I lifted my head and stared out the window of the top-story dorm room I shared with my roommate, Chloe. It was a dreary, spring morning. Gray clouds veil...
It was strange really, how it began. So totally unexpected. Hmm... let me explain from the beginning. It was a normal day. My role as the village blacksmith kept me firmly in the background. I had been doing this kind of work all my life. When I was young...
Hi folks, my name is Milly Tigger. This is how I found my forever home after a rough start in life . I wasn't sure I would ever have a safe space . My beginnings were rough I was born to a Yorkie and poddle living off grid in a place that was pretty run d...
I had just about given up on the library when I spied Jimmy back in the corner, head down in a book – naturally. He was in the history section, where no one else was seated. He didn’t want to go home. His shiftless, drunk of a father would be there, and J...
Mitzy was poking her peas around the plate one night at dinner. Her parents exchanged a look, silently asking the other which one of them would ask their daughter what was going on first, like an invisible game of rock paper scissors, before one of her fa...
Ædith walked slowly, her heart was beating powerfully as the adrenalin flowed through her veins. This was the moment she had dreamed of as she stared straight ahead through the thin mesh of her veil. She looked neither right nor left, ignoring the admirin...
“Eddie’s dead,” said the female voice on the other end of the line. My caller did not identify herself, but I recognized Emma Lawrence’s voice. She was engaged to my old friend Eddie Blake. “What happened, Emma?” I asked, dreading the answer. “He went pad...
Is one's essence defined by the age of the body, their culture, economic status, or gender? What are we without the context of time, gender, and culture? Tara's mother underwent a metamorphosis. Mildred wore different costumes of the mind. Each costume wa...
[Helsinki/FI-27.5.2050-Containment05] [Subject: 6648] The video feed clicked on, blurring, and then sharpening to perfect quality. It showed a single humanoid figure strapped down to a metal medical table that had been repositioned to sit nearly upright....
Sandra and Melanie were talented thespians. Way beyond good; no one had realized they were the best actors in the whole damn school. Melanie was such a chameleon, not even Sandra had twigged to Mel’s self-nomination for leading actress in a goth part. San...
The Mardi Gras adventure. It was Mardi Gras in the French quarter of New Orleans. Marti the mink had never seen such a crowd. She had been around humans before so that didn't bother her too much. She looked at all the fun costumes and masks in bright shad...
Getting up to the attic is a chore these days. Hell, some mornings just getting out of bed is a chore. Still on the right side of the lawn though, which is something. So full of history up here. The weight of it lies heavy on my shoulders at times. Feathe...
Zara slid into the vacant seat and joined her classmates for lunch. “So, what are you guys doing for Mardi Gras?” she enquired as she opened her can of coke. Her friend Sinead paused, a sandwich halfway to her mouth. “We don’t do Mardi Gras. We just have...
