'No Wake' by Jenna Isherwood

“On the drive down to Joe’s, Kelly has chided me for being a tourist because I suggested paying for a boat trip, as if her two years in Florida have made her a local. I got the idea of manatee spotting from the dog-eared cartoon sea cow dangling from Kelly’s rear-view mirror, its air-freshening chemicals long-since expended.”

Endangered sea creatures and endangered friendships feature in May 2016's edition of Long Story, Short Journal: 'No Wake' by Jenna Isherwood. A visit to Florida swampland searching for the vulnerable that lives just beneath the surface makes for perfect early summer reading.  Photo by Bob Miller. READ 'NO WAKE'.

Love Child by Mary Morrissy

We are delighted to present Mary Morrissy’s ‘Love Child’ as the April 2016 edition of Long Story, Short Journal. Mary Morrissy is an award winning Irish novelist (The Hennessy Award, Lannan Foundation award) and short story writer. ‘Love Child’ is one of the stories from her newly launched short story collection Prosperity Drive. Also featured int his issue is a photograph from Craig Niederberger. READ 'LOVE CHILD'.

The Great Example

A young Nigerian boy who has survived a harrowing journey to Ireland meets an uncle who helps him navigate his new life in 'The Great Example' . In this consciousness-raising tale, Mark Tuthill introduces readers to the loneliest of modern voices, that of a refugee in a strange land. Accompanying photo by South African photographer Les Jacobs. READ 'THE GREAT EXAMPLE'.

Mandy Taggart's 'Pride'

“Across the road, Laverty’s shop lies shuttered behind steel. Closed two years now, the neighbour told her, after Laverty retired and the sons weren’t interested. Some resourceful vandal has covered the spray-painted obscenities across the shutters with neat squares of white, each one topped with a smiling face in acid yellow. A van swishes past, and Laura feels something in the air shoot free, like the blockage in a straw. When she looks again at the opposite pavement, Laverty’s lion is waiting for her.”

What do you do when a lion follows you home? February 2016's edition of Long Story, Short Journal unique short story, 'Pride', answers the question. Author Mandy Taggart, previous winner of the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award, gives readers a window on a life marked in equal measures by vulnerability and strength. Accompanying photo by American photographer Austin Granger. READ 'PRIDE'. 

The Dead Soldier's Sister

“The prospect of entering this shrine had thrilled David for days. The soldier had died two years before in Lebanon, in March of 1994, and David wondered if the walls and the furniture had absorbed the grief and changed somehow, melted or sagged. ”

January 2016's edition examines the deteriorating effect that a state of perpetual war has on an individual. Set in Israel, 'The Dead Soldier's Sister' follows a young student tasked with making a memorial movie about an alumnus of his high school who was killed in combat, and ends up on a psychological path reminiscent of Heart of Darkness. Author Yaron Kaver's work offers complexity where pundits offer platitudes. READ 'THE DEAD SOLDIER'S SISTER'.

Motorcycle is the Best Sauce by Richard Roche

“Turning the hob to a lower heat, Simon gave the contents of the pan a cursory stir, inhaled deeply, then stepped into the dining room to inspect the soundproofing again. Satisfied that the double-glazed windows were all closed and locked, he glanced nervously into the street below. Still. Lifeless. Perfect.”

The December 2015 edition of Long Story, Short Journal is a unique offering from writer and academic Dr Richard Roche. 'Motorcycle is the Best Sauce' invites the reader into the world of a sufferer of auditory synaesthesia, who is making great efforts to move through isolation towards a more connected life.  Photograph by Mark Guider. READ 'MOTORCYCLE IS THE BEST SAUCE'.

Gyurd by Shane Strachan

“It had been nearly six years since Diane had last seen the Lerwick postmark on a letter addressed to her. When she picked the letter up off her welcome mat she felt her body stiffen and her hand grip tight on the cream envelope. In a daze, she walked through her lobby to the kitchen and put her mail down on the table next to the other envelopes she’d been given throughout the week: her birthday cards. She started opening them. Most so far had ‘40’ on the front but some gave her other names like ‘Cousin’ and ‘Friend’. She knew fine well what the one in the cream envelope would name her.”

The November 2015 edition of Long Story, Short Journal is an image from German photographer Alina Hartwig and a story, 'Gyurd', from Scottish writer Shane Strachan. 'Gyurd' is a Shetlandic Scots word meaning 'gift', referring to the many offerings, complex in their attachments and consequences, which are given within the tale. READ SHANE STRACHAN'S 'GYURD'.

Small Rebellions by Claire Hennessy

“It’s inevitable that the bed feels too empty, that the television blasts through the walls along with Conor’s laughter, that she ends up knotting her dressing-gown around her waist and curling up next to him on the couch. Inevitable that his hands undo that knot, his fingers sliding against bare skin, and that when his tongue works its magic between her thighs it’s impossible to remember that the walls are paper-thin. ”

Photo © Marianna Santikou

The October 2015 edition of Long Story, Short Journal by Irish writer Claire Hennessy is a reminder of the importance, even now, of Virginia Woolf's dictum: "A woman must have money and a room of her own..." if she is to be an artist. 'Small Rebellions' is the portrait of a talented young woman struggling against the tide of duty, obligation, and everyday minutiae, which is dragging her away from her own work inch by inch. Also featured in this edition is Marianna Santikou's photo 'Missed Opportunity'. READ 'SMALL REBELLIONS'.

Interstate by Patrick Chapman

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Photo © Patrick Warner.

“Now there was the road. Now there was the desert road flashing by, and Michio’s car, a Chevy Impala, which Oliver had borrowed without asking. Rufus the dog was present in the aftermath of her fur. She was a bitch collie but Michio had decided to give her a male name. He had thought it funny to do so. It was a political statement too. Oliver was not quite sure what he’d meant by that.”

The September 2015 edition of Long Story, Short Journal is 'Interstate' by Irish writer / poet / screenwriter, Patrick Chapman. 'Interstate' is a fractured David-Lynchian fairytale which explores how trauma can trigger an inescapable loop of regret and rumination, rendering even time powerless to heal. This month's edition also features a photo by American photographer Patrick Warner. READ 'INTERSTATE'.

The Vanishing Act by Connla Stokes →

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Photo by Mark Madeo

“This Biblical weather had set the stage perfectly for his overnight disappearance, which once reported, would seem like a no-brainer. Just picture: two or three days after a hurricane rips the arse off Dublin, the Gardaí find a missing person’s crappy car at the end of a pier with a bunch of discarded clothes on the back seat. If that didn’t scream out, “Goodbye cruel world!” in neon lights, Ciaran figured nothing would. ”

The Vanishing Act by Irish writer Connla Stokes is the August 2015 edition of Long Story, Short Journal. In this tale, the 'lonely voice' in short stories turns humorous, when the hero decides to fling himself head-first into isolation, in a bid to reconnect with his loved ones. The satirical portrait of a writer in a severe stage of avoidance will be familiar to many who long for both escape, and creative notoriety. Read The Vanishing Act.

Snapshots by Eileen Keane

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Photo © Linda Raymond

"I feel disengaged from my life, as if it is a series of stills from a film, or moments captured in images that I offer to the earth. I spread them out there and examine them and rearrange them as if by doing so I might somehow find answers. The older ones seem faded and when I look at them it’s as if my head fills with noise, but when I focus on the ones that link to this place, the din fades and the mellifluous sound of the clarinet takes its place."

Long Story, Short Journal's July 2015 edition is a unique tale from Hennessy-award winning writer Eileen Keane. 'Snapshots' examines tensions that affinity for one's 'home-place' can create in a relationship, while offering 'snapshot' portraits of the endurance and strength that can be drawn from love.  CLICK HERE TO READ 'Snapshots'.

Tiny Dancer by Lisa Lang

Photo © Alan McCord

"From her window she watched the street. There were people in good coats – with no pilling, no unflattering bulk – walking with clear purpose, cyclists gliding by. It was late afternoon, night was falling, and the alien, blue-rinsed light settled on her like a kind of despair. She had a sense of being adrift on a vast, indifferent ocean. Whether she ate her dinner or not, went to sleep or stayed awake all night, or even stopped existing, who was to know?" 

Long Story, Short Journal's June 2015 edition is 'Tiny Dancer' : an examination of the solitude required for artistry, detailed in a portrait of a young dancer who is living away from home for the first time. Author Lisa Lang is the recipient of The Australian/Vogel Literary Award for her début novel Utopian Man.  CLICK HERE TO READ 'TINY DANCER'.