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Heart of the City

November 28, 2013/in DWM, DWM, Winter-Spring 2014 / by Anthony D'Aries

Cliff’s meaty fingers hunt and jab through his report on Arthur Ashe—eyes darting between computer screen and handwritten paper—while Starship’s We Built This City plays on 106.7. “Yes, sir,” Cliff says in his gravelly voice, tapping his foot. He jabs a letter, glances at the screen, jabs another, double-checks to make sure this machine isn’t […]

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Forty-Two Measures of Rest

November 26, 2013/in DWM, DWM, Winter-Spring 2014 / by Jill Kolongowski

My younger sister Beth is driving home from a visit to her college town. She is flipping through songs on her iPod, listening to her friend Matt talk in the passenger seat. Christmas was a few days ago and snowflakes drift lazily through the air, too light and swift to land. The day seems simple […]

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Just Walk Away

November 24, 2013/in DWM, DWM, Winter-Spring 2014 / by Diane Payne

I grab my baby and run outside, screaming for help. No one steps outside when they think there’s trouble. It’s hotter than hell on this shit hole street in Tucson. The neighbors are sitting inside drinking beer, cursing the humidity that’s sucking away the coolness from their rusty swamp coolers. I’m standing on the road, […]

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Issue Archive

  • Issue 28: Winter/Spring 2026
  • Issue 27: Summer/Fall 2025
  • Issue 26: Winter/Spring 2025
  • Issue 25: Summer/Fall 2024
  • Issue 24: Winter/Spring 2024
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Genre Archive

  • Creative Nonfiction
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  • Young Adult

Friday Lunch Blog

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

Today’s course:

Being A Girl is Hard

November 28, 2025/in Blog / Shawn Elliott
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Diagnosis: Persisted or Silent Inheritance

November 7, 2025/in Blog / Paula Williamson
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The Queer Ultimatum Made Me Give My Own Ultimatum

September 26, 2025/in Blog / Lex Garcia
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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:

I Try So Hard Not to Bite Off His Tongue & One Poem

November 21, 2025/in Amuse-Bouche / Sheree La Puma
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/La-Puma_headshot.jpg 1599 881 Sheree La Puma https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Sheree La Puma2025-11-21 11:00:222025-12-11 17:48:51I Try So Hard Not to Bite Off His Tongue & One Poem

Those from sadness – Found Poem

November 14, 2025/in Amuse-Bouche / Yirui Pan
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My Town

October 31, 2025/in Amuse-Bouche / Shoshauna Shy
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Shy_headshot-2.jpg 1091 862 Shoshauna Shy https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Shoshauna Shy2025-10-31 11:00:372025-12-11 17:48:51My Town

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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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A Communal Announcement

April 28, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Isabella Dail
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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

Editing issue 28, I felt something similar to the way I feel near water: I dove into my own private world. The world above the surface kept roaring, of course. The notifications, deadlines, the constant noise was always there. But inside the work, inside these poems and stories and artwork, there was a quiet that felt entirely mine. A place where I could breathe differently.

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