My new short story "The Leftover" is now available in Meridian #22, alongside new fiction by Joseph Levens, Ethan David Miller, Celeste Ng, and Matthew Ira Swaye, as well as poetry by Carl Dennis, Brendan Galvin, Barbara Hamby, Jeff Hardin, Bob Hicok, Sandy Longhorn, Carl Phillips, John Pock, Donald Revell, and Karen Rigby. The issue also includes some previously unpublished letters of Allen Ginsburg's to India, as well as an interview with The Brief History of the Dead author Kevin Brockmeier.

The issue is beautifully designed, both inside and out, and I'm very excited to be a part of Meridian. It's a magazine I've long been an admirer of, and editor Aja Gabel was great to work with, bringing a friendliness and enthusiasm to the process that made being published there even better. So thank you!

Here's the first section of "The Leftover":

What happened with Allison and Jeff was what was happening all the time, to other people Allison knew and, she presumed, to lots of people she didn't know. They had met, dated until it seemed like they should probably move in together, and then lived together until it seemed they should stop. In between, they talked about getting married, about buying a house, about having a family, but they didn't do any of those things.Now they were broken up, and there had been no fighting, no harsh words, just the knowledge that something had ended.

He was gone and she was still here. That is what she has decided she will say to people when they ask her how she's feeling and if she's all right.

She will say, I am still here. She will say it like it means something all by itself, like quitting or being quit on was the easiest thing in the world.

Yes, it's a break-up story, but trust me-- Things get pretty weird before its over.

You can read the rest of the story by ordering a copy of Meridian here.  It's only $7 for a single issue, or $12 for a two-issue subscription.