What We’re Talking About in Issue 0603 (March 2022)
The complete table of contents
as it appears in the March 2022 issue of Blank Spaces.
from the editor—Always Further
fiction — Carousel by Andrea Marcelino puts us into the spinning point of view of a Canadian woman in a French land as she navigates repetition and dissatisfaction, watching her life pass her by like the pages of a flip book.
Through a vulnerable protagonist, Michele Alba explores the freedoms and perils of being a female solo traveller, the haunting fear of not knowing what really happened, and the healing properties of an unforgiving sea in her absorbing tale, Sauerkraut.
Hockey culture can mean joy for some, for others it is a display of what they lack in both finances and support. Does the behaviour of a father reflect in the son? We see this and more in Ted McInnis’ story, Raymond’s Old Man.
In Morning Commute, Jessica Golding reflects on the human inclination to write stories for the strangers we meet, following the character of Mo as they use their daily metro ride to fantasize about the lives of others.
red solo cup — Pauline Peters embraces her passion for the earth, blackness, ancestors, myth, and the feminine divine through her poems, Earth Logic, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, and Sandalwood.
Lindsay Gallant explores the theme of transformation through her poems, When Woman Became Couch, Gorgeous, and Man Mowing.
In her poem, Carousel (now), Christina McArthur wanted to compare the feeling of riding a carousel as a child to the experience of an adult seeing a loved one amidst the whirling.
shameless — Ian Clay Sewall reflects on small moments of big impact as he sits in a California coffee shop, donning the cowboy boots that stir up memories, seeking new stories but coming back to the old in his essay Some People are Radio Stations.
flash fiction — Shelf Stable by T. L. Tomljanovic invites us to observe a woman desperate to find an identity beyond motherhood by signing up for a cake decorating class.
different strokes — Alanna Rusnak sits down in the studio with eclectic artist, Diana McIntosh for a candid conversation about being true to yourself and stepping outside the box in An Empath’s Palette: Perfectly Imperfect.
story matters — In Completing the Circle, a companion piece to his Story Matters essay “The Power of Three”, published in the March 2020 issue of Blank Spaces, Ace Baker shares how he caught the eye of the judges in our short fiction contest ‘The Things We Leave Behind’ and took first place.
make art not war — In response to the devastating effect social isolation and distancing has had on the arts community, Will Moran-Mac Donald and Geraldine Mac Donald have joined forces to launch a new type of streaming service to support the work of filmmakers, with a goal to revolutionize the short film industry in Canada. Learn more of this exciting initiative in Making Art Not War with Lumii Films Co.
more than words — Ukrainian-Canadian photographer Oleksandra Budna found peace in isolation as she utilized her local park to cope with Covid lock-downs, finding something new every time she explored, and sharing those discoveries through her photo essay, Ode to a Nameless Brook.
between the lines — Gail M. Murray brings us a review of Our Darkest Night by Canadian author, Jennifer Robson.
write prompt challenge winner — Write prompt winner, Dustin Ruth presented a unique contest entry with his story For You, Anything, one that the judges called “powerful” and “disturbing”.
final word — KC Gano asks some hard questions about life, the universe, and our response to it in her riveting piece, Fear Goes Like This.
