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Elvis Has Left the Building

May 7, 2016/in CNF, CNF, Summer-Fall 2016 / by Eric Day

The second I escaped high school, I went to work at my father’s full-line music store in the little corner hovel called the M.I. department, which stood for Musical Instruments. There wasn’t much to do but restock the clarinet reeds and trombone grease, make sure the ¼-size violins had bows in their cases, and dust […]

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Down in the River to Pray

May 4, 2016/in CNF, CNF, Summer-Fall 2016 / by Lois Ruskai Melina

This is what I knew: My nephew Benji graduated from drama school. When he crossed the stage to accept his diploma, he wore a sultry Lauren Bacall wig and a cream-colored satin evening gown with padded shoulders. His make-up was perfect, his lips the color of blood and desire. My mother told me he looked […]

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The Half-Buttoned Effect

May 3, 2016/in CNF, CNF, Summer-Fall 2016 / by Saeide Mirzaei

I want to reach out and slide the button back in the buttonhole. She’s standing right in front of me, wearing a light green dress with buttons on the back. A row of buttons, like a dotted line drawn from her nape to a random point halfway down her spine. I count the buttons: one, […]

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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png 0 0 Sherrye Henry https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Sherrye Henry2016-05-03 17:09:162023-08-11 10:41:42The Half-Buttoned Effect

Nothing Beats a Beergut Breakfast

May 2, 2016/in CNF, CNF, Summer-Fall 2016 / by Genevieve Morck

After I pass through security, I’ll have left them. Beergut, Special Son, and I hang out in a loose triangle several feet away from the glass doors. Nothing left to say or do, the time of my flight to Seoul heavy and ticking. I avoid Beergut’s icy gaze, look to metal crossbeams. The airport houses […]

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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png 0 0 Sherrye Henry https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Sherrye Henry2016-05-02 16:03:482023-08-11 10:41:59Nothing Beats a Beergut Breakfast

Home is Home

April 30, 2016/in CNF, CNF, Summer-Fall 2016 / by Suzanne Ushie

The car goes around a bend. The windows are up, the air cool, and we are hemmed in from every angle by the afternoon sun. In the back seat, my mother clasps my palm, as though to assure herself that I am really here. We ease onto IBB Way. On either side, the town lies […]

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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png 0 0 Sherrye Henry https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Sherrye Henry2016-04-30 17:07:372023-08-11 10:42:18Home is Home

Issue Archive

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Genre Archive

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Friday Lunch Blog

Friday Lunch! A serving of contemporary essays published the second Friday of every month.

Today’s course:

The Many Drafts of My (Writing) Life

September 4, 2026/in Blog / Caren McDonald
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A Love Like No Other

August 7, 2026/in Blog / Claudia Vaughan
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Being A Girl is Hard

November 28, 2025/in Blog / Shawn Elliott
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Midnight Snack

Take a bite out of these late night obsessions.

Tonight’s bites:

The Lilac and The Housefly: A Tale of Tortured Romanticism

October 24, 2025/in Midnight Snack / Nikki Mae Howard
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Dig Into Genre

May 23, 2025/in Midnight Snack / Lauren Howard
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The dreams in which I’m (not) dying

April 25, 2025/in Midnight Snack / paparouna
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Amuse-Bouche

Little bites every third Friday to whet your appetite!

Today’s plate:

As Usual

September 25, 2026/in Amuse-Bouche / Abby Manzella
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1ManzellaheadshotLeeManion-1-scaled.jpg 2560 1896 Abby Manzella https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Abby Manzella2026-09-25 12:05:452026-09-24 18:17:45As Usual

Unraveling

September 11, 2026/in Amuse-Bouche / Jessica Wingate
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Tulip Garden

August 28, 2026/in Amuse-Bouche / Cassandra Baliga
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School Lunch

An occasional Wednesday series dishing up today’s best youth writers.

Today’s slice:

I’ve Stayed in the Front Yard

May 12, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Brendan Nurczyk
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SL-Insta-Brendan-Nurczyk-2.png 1500 1500 Brendan Nurczyk https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Brendan Nurczyk2021-05-12 10:18:392022-02-01 13:24:05I’ve Stayed in the Front Yard

A Communal Announcement

April 28, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Isabella Dail
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SL-FB-Isabella-Dail.png 788 940 Isabella Dail https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Isabella Dail2021-04-28 11:34:132021-04-28 11:34:13A Communal Announcement

Seventeen

April 14, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Abigail E. Calimaran
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SL-Insta-Abigail-E.-Calimaran.png 1080 1080 Abigail E. Calimaran https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Abigail E. Calimaran2021-04-14 11:22:062021-04-14 11:22:06Seventeen

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Word From the Editor

Readers,

On December 23rd, 2024, I lost a dear friend of mine, Valerie Goldstein. She was a fellow teacher and writer, and she spent her young adult life being a voice for change. Valerie had organized protests, and her dream was to get into educational policy. When I heard the news of her death, I was grief-stricken. She was so full of life and happiness, and I thought that the world had lost another good one.

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