A journal of rediscovery
Hello from Poor Yorick! And welcome to our November Double Feature. This month we are highlighting two wonderful pieces: a short story by R.S. MacDonald and a poem by Mercury-Marvin Sunderland. Each of these pieces is reflective of fall, of life and death, of change and transformation. We hope you’ll
Our golden apparitions decay and leave the poisonous lead behind … Continue readingLead: Three Poems by Jessica Martin
Editor’s Note The theme for this special issue emerged from multiple sources of inspiration and observation that came together in a way that just made sense. I’d observed that poetry was our most popular submission category, that April was National Poetry Month, and that sometimes, a few
Continue readingThe Poet’s Mask, a Poor Yorick Special Issue
We’re continuing our monthly reading series with a virtual open mic and fireside chat! Cozy up with your favorite beverage and share your poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Stick around for an open discussion between readers and writers. This month’s theme is about family—the people who get us through
Continue readingPoor Yorick Reading Series: “Family Matters”
As I begin my second semester of the MFA program at Western Connecticut State University, I am excited to start writing my thesis. I’ve chosen to write a screenplay about my grandfather’s life growing up in Poland during World War II, the country’s seizure by Nazi Germany, and how my grandfather’s life changed because of the trauma he experienced. … Continue readingUncovering My Grandfather’s Past by Michaela Lawlor
I believe in permanence,your brass head whirlingdroplets into the seared August air,without complaint or growing pains, sans giggles or adolescent drama,but I also believe in the slippery childskipping now through the rainbow miston a green New Hampshire lawn, impermanence boogying beneath you,sprinkler, in her red bathing suit,this one, thin-strapped and
Continue reading“Ode to a Lawn Sprinkler in Contoocook, New Hampshire” by Suellen Wedmore
Loss can be a terrible thing, but not always. In some cases, “gone” is good. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. People who lose weight are happy.
But it’s not only what we lose that changes us. It’s what we keep, as well. … Continue reading“An Eternal Light” by Mara Fein
At 4:44 a.m. on Monday, May the 2nd, as many as four or as few as two assailants forcibly entered 1319 Paige Ring Court, smashing a plate-glass door at the back of the house to gain entry. Once inside, they rifled through drawers, dressers, closets, at some point overturning three chairs in the den, elsewhere toppling an armoire and credenza – ‘credenza’ is misspelled on the report – and, on or around the hour, murdered Jim, Marianne, and Arianna Thompson, 58, 56, 14, by strangulation. … Continue reading“My Brother’s Brother,” by Austin Adams
The first time I finally went to a record store, I found a slightly beat up copy of Cat Stevens’ Teaser and the Firecat. My dad had always mentioned that his dad, my grandfather, had loved Cat Stevens. He died long before I was ever born, and the album got
The most vivid memory of my first visit to The Wood Memorial Library & Museum is of the 103 ½-inch-x-89-inch quilt that caught my eye when I walked in the main entrance and glanced toward the staircase that leads to the second floor. The South Windsor Bicentennial Quilt was