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Bryant Literary Review

Volume 16 (2015)

Editor's Note

It all begins with a flicker of inspiration. As individuals, we perceive objects, people, and scenes differently; each person recognizing beauty and value in objects for an array of qualities. We form ideas inspired by those perceptions. Those of you who are familiar with the creative process might be acquainted with the tension that develops with the formation of an idea. We see or hear or feel and know we must create. Until we express that idea, we carry this tension-this need to release our thoughts-that is only relieved bit by bit as words fill a page, or brushstrokes texturize a canvas.

But even on the most individual level, we are still at whim to the atmosphere of the community we are surrounded by. As we can see over the course of time, it’s the individuals in a society who collect to form communities, and they are in constant change. People come and go, some merely visit, and others linger for as long as the community serves them or they feel they can serve the community. Creativity flows freely throughout these communities, vitalizing them with new ideas, perspectives, and stories. Communities-not unlike the people who compose them-are centers of creative flow and can serve us as the greatest source of motivation and challenge. Without these communities (not unlike the Bryant Literary Review), how would we, as artists, improve? How would we know where we stand in the context of other creators? How would we share our creations with others who will take the time to read/view in search for meaning?

Without the guidance of Professor Tom Chandler and Professor Tom Roach, the Bryant University College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the dedication of all student editors, this edition of the BLR would not have been possible. I thank you for taking the time to read this special collection of creations, our sixteenth edition; and as a result, share in this community of literary appreciation and enjoyment and to keep a beautiful tradition alive.

Laura Sprague
Student Editor

Title Page

Table of Contents

Editors' Note

Contributors

Fiction

PDF

Lavender Bride
Robert Kostuck

PDF

Ginger
Charles Butterfield

PDF

Gift-Wrapped
Daniel M. Jaffe

PDF

The Strap
Ruth Latta

PDF

Phantom
Adam Matson

PDF

Class Mate
John Kristofco

Poetry

PDF

Moving On
Joyce S. Brown

PDF

The Dictionary
Ace Boggess

PDF

Hitler Stamp
Paul Hostovsky

PDF

Seashells Never Say Much Anyway
Joshua R. Mora Pagkalinawan

PDF

A Bad Sandstorm
Sheryl L. Nelms

PDF

Bayou Mirror
Iris Litt

PDF

In Praise of Cowards
William Jolliff

PDF

Lethal Injection
David Dragone

PDF

Nothing at All
Ali Morreale

PDF

Making History
Charles Webb

PDF

Modern Peasantry
Mark Smith

PDF

At the Post Office
Martha Christina

PDF

Lost Memory
Jane Stuart

PDF

Heist
Rachael Colasanto

PDF

Lost at Sea
Dylan Thomas

PDF

Hoo Doo Interests
Allison Whittenberg

PDF

She Feeds Me Now
Susan Johnson

PDF

a fried egg
Ellen Cooney

PDF

Cul-de-sac
Dennis Saleh

PDF

The Accident
Victoria Melekian

Editors

Editor
Tom Chandler
Fiction Editor
Tom Roach
Managing Editor
Kimberly Keyes
Associate Editor
Lucie Koretsky
Student Editor
Laura Sprague
Assistant Student Editors
Adedayo Adebiyi, Tim Laffin, Amanda Spaziano, Tatianna Williams

Additional Information

Design and Layout
Rebecca Chandler, www.chandler-design.com
Cover Art
Lee Graves