'Frozen Frigid' is the new issue of 50 to 1. It took me a while to release it and for that, I’m sorry. But please enjoy these great flashes. This issue’s featured contributors include: Avery Oslo, C. S. Roberts, Heather Babcock, Debbi Antebi, John Sheirer, Lisa Zaran, and Bill Ward.
Glen is super busy and deeply apologizes for the delay of this awesome issue.
Ghost Story by Bill Ward
The Ghost of Christmas Past advised Eddie Sneezer: “Get out of that box you’ve been in for 50 years. Live life fully!” He drifted away.
Eddie spent his remaining days studying this ghostly epiphany. He enshrined it on an altar on the east wall of his beautiful box.
Bill Ward is a retired psychologist. His work has been published or accepted for publication in Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poems, The Moon:The Publication for Writing & Art, Hazard Cat, Spot Literary Magazine, Breath and Shadow, and Sounds of the Night. He received a commendation for a work of fiction in the Southwest Writers’ Association 2010 Writing Contest.
The Ghost of Christmas Past advised Eddie Sneezer: “Get out of that box you’ve been in for 50 years. Live life fully!” He drifted away.
Eddie spent his remaining days studying this ghostly epiphany. He enshrined it on an altar on the east wall of his beautiful box.
Bill Ward is a retired psychologist. His work has been published or accepted for publication in Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poems, The Moon:The Publication for Writing & Art, Hazard Cat, Spot Literary Magazine, Breath and Shadow, and Sounds of the Night. He received a commendation for a work of fiction in the Southwest Writers’ Association 2010 Writing Contest.
White by Lisa Zaran
Come glad winter and the first stars will appear brighter than a mouth full of dentally whitened teeth.
Like yours, bone blind child, whenever you smile I go numb. All you ask for and all I pray is to see the snow, which little do you know is like blindness.
Lisa Zaran was born in 1969 in Los Angeles, California. She is an American poet, essayist and the author of six collections. Her poems have appeared in hundreds of literary journals, magazines, broadsides, anthologies and e-zines. Lisa is founder and editor of Contemporary American Voices, an online collection of poetry by American poets. She lives and writes in Arizona.
Come glad winter and the first stars will appear brighter than a mouth full of dentally whitened teeth.
Like yours, bone blind child, whenever you smile I go numb. All you ask for and all I pray is to see the snow, which little do you know is like blindness.
Lisa Zaran was born in 1969 in Los Angeles, California. She is an American poet, essayist and the author of six collections. Her poems have appeared in hundreds of literary journals, magazines, broadsides, anthologies and e-zines. Lisa is founder and editor of Contemporary American Voices, an online collection of poetry by American poets. She lives and writes in Arizona.
Flaws by John Sheirer
During their latest argument, she counted off his worst flaws, all eight of them--too sensitive, defensive, withdrawn, distant, reads too much, friendless, too political--lifting a finger or thumb for each one. She probably could have named ten flaws, but she was using two fingers to hold her cigarette.
John Sheirer lives in Northampton, MA, and teaches at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, CT. His most recent book is the memoir Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail, winner of the Connecticut Green Circle Award. He can be found here: www.johnsheirer.com
During their latest argument, she counted off his worst flaws, all eight of them--too sensitive, defensive, withdrawn, distant, reads too much, friendless, too political--lifting a finger or thumb for each one. She probably could have named ten flaws, but she was using two fingers to hold her cigarette.
John Sheirer lives in Northampton, MA, and teaches at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, CT. His most recent book is the memoir Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail, winner of the Connecticut Green Circle Award. He can be found here: www.johnsheirer.com
1st line by Debbi Antebi
The first thing Margaret saw when she opened her eyes was her own body lying on the bed, lifeless.
Debbi Antebi has work published or forthcoming in Six Sentences, FlashShot, Apollo’s Lyre, and several other publications. She lives in Istanbul, Turkey.
The first thing Margaret saw when she opened her eyes was her own body lying on the bed, lifeless.
Debbi Antebi has work published or forthcoming in Six Sentences, FlashShot, Apollo’s Lyre, and several other publications. She lives in Istanbul, Turkey.
1st line by Heather Babcock
Christina was too much of a masochist to abuse drugs or alcohol.
Heather Babcock has had short fiction published in The Toronto Quarterly, The Fence, Queer Ramblings, The Annex Echo Newspaper and within the Steel Bananas anthology GULCH - An Assemblage of Poetry and Prose.
Christina was too much of a masochist to abuse drugs or alcohol.
Heather Babcock has had short fiction published in The Toronto Quarterly, The Fence, Queer Ramblings, The Annex Echo Newspaper and within the Steel Bananas anthology GULCH - An Assemblage of Poetry and Prose.
1st line by C. S. Roberts
"I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."
At thirty years of age, C. S. Roberts' midlife crisis is still ahead of him. He nevertheless has the urge to buy a ridiculously expensive car. Sometimes he tries, and sometimes succesfully, to write something.
"I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."
At thirty years of age, C. S. Roberts' midlife crisis is still ahead of him. He nevertheless has the urge to buy a ridiculously expensive car. Sometimes he tries, and sometimes succesfully, to write something.
Celibacy by Avery Oslo
Sharon’s first boyfriend looked like the dude from the Big Lebowski. In retrospect, that should have taught her everything she needed to know about herself, but of course she did not learn.
A Donnie Darko, Fred Flintsone, and Brian Cohen later, Sharon is still none the wiser.
Avery Oslo's work appears in places like Aurora Wolf’s New Fairy Tales Anthology, the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Alice Magazine, and Sex and Murder. A habitual nomad, Oslo is currently living in the Netherlands working on two novels and several short stories. Follow Oslo on Twitter (http://twitter.com/AveryOslo) or check out his blog (http://averyoslo.wordpress.com).
Sharon’s first boyfriend looked like the dude from the Big Lebowski. In retrospect, that should have taught her everything she needed to know about herself, but of course she did not learn.
A Donnie Darko, Fred Flintsone, and Brian Cohen later, Sharon is still none the wiser.
Avery Oslo's work appears in places like Aurora Wolf’s New Fairy Tales Anthology, the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Alice Magazine, and Sex and Murder. A habitual nomad, Oslo is currently living in the Netherlands working on two novels and several short stories. Follow Oslo on Twitter (http://twitter.com/AveryOslo) or check out his blog (http://averyoslo.wordpress.com).