Magic Realism

The Best Short Story I Read in a Lit Mag This Week: “Volcano Climber” by Courtney Craggett
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The Best Short Story I Read in a Lit Mag This Week: “Volcano Climber” by Courtney Craggett

ByRoss McMeekin

Augustine of Hippo wrote “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” In her short story “Volcano Climber” (Juked), Courtney Craggett explores the nature of the first of Hope’s beautiful daughters, anger. We meet…

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The Best Short Story I Read in a Lit Mag This Week: “Oil Dog” by Kelly Dulaney

ByRoss McMeekin

It can be difficult to write short stories about large global issues—take, for instance, our worldwide dependency on fossil fuels—and not have it come off as preachy, in need of novel-length expansion, or as a coy thematic stand-in for our characters’ interior lives. Kelly Dulaney’s short story “Oil Dog” (The Collagist) suffers none of those…