What We’re Talking About in Issue 0701 (September 2022)
The complete table of contents
as it appears in the September 2022 issue of Blank Spaces.
from the editor—I See the Art in You
shameless — During the collective trauma of COVID 19, increasingly vivid and troubling dream narratives have a value that points to our vulnerability. Gwen Tuinman explores the relevance of dream content as a mental health red flag in her personal essay, Waking Up.
In To the Tourist in the Yellow Sweater near the CN Tower, Salvatore Difalco brings us a vivid and zesty snapshot of a strange encounter on the streets of Toronto.
It is with a haunting voice and deep vulnerability that Désirée Jung invites us into her inner thoughts as she writes a letter to herself in utero, holding nothing back as she shares about heavy truths and painful loss in Dispatches From the Womb.
flash fiction — Part of a series that focuses on the experience of being in your 20s in Calgary, Grace Curry presents Shirts, a story that brings us into the city and teaches us what we can learn about a person by judging the clothes on their back.
Joel Fishbane uses the model of a musical to share the soundtrack of a fated relationship in his unique tale Liner Notes to “The Other Man” (original cast recording).
In A Picture in a Puddle on the Ground, Dustin Ruth sets the reader in the midst of a new kind of world that is evocatively spun, trusting us to catch up without missing a beat.
fiction — Brother Blue by Marek Przemieniecki is a refreshing and heartwarming take on the relationship between police and the residents of low income communities.
Informed by ten years teaching in a First Nations community, Martin Mielke’s tale uses two young kids hanging out on a hill by an abandoned truck as the vehicle to deliver the captivating story of Blake Maduc in The Five Worlds of Black Magic.
Set in Northern Ontario cottage country and centred around two young women who are set on turning a near-tragedy into a new memory, Jennifer Turney invites us to watch as dream turns to terror turns to dream in Crossing the Bridge.
A young adult comes to terms with her traumatic past as she strives to forge new relationships in Coffee and Cream by Pauline Shen.
different strokes — The pandemic and the inception of motherhood brought Ashley Alexandra back to her artistic roots after being caught up in decades of education and the professional career grind. Passion for family, animals, and the outdoors inform her exploration and she has produced a new series called Waterworld that shares her appreciation of the universal theme of water through her mixed media pieces.
red solo cup — Elvira Berezowsky is using poetry to explore the concept of memory and reflection on a long life lived, piecing together stories and experiences to share like her offering of Narcisse, Manitoba and Dip.
In her untitled poem Margot Block gives a glimpse at a moving moment in time where grief, loss, and regret intersect.
poetry unwrapped — Staff writer, Haley Down unpacks From the Shoreline, a new poetry collection by Steffi Tad-y and published by Gordon Hill Press, proving that great art allows for both violets and violence.
make art not war — For the artistic person, engaging in the act of creativity is life. Pauline Shen finds purpose in her art, sharing that everything makes more sense when you allow your artistic inspiration to Burst Into Life.
between the lines
Gail M. Murray brings us a review of The Things We Leave Behind an anthology featuring the top eight stories from the Blank Spaces fiction contest hosted in 2021.
write prompt challenge winner — Write prompt winner Lindsey Harrington presented a strong contest entry with her story Roxy Roller, one that the judges called “purposeful” and “profound.”
final word — India Das-Brown shares the inspiration behind her desire to tell stories in Why I Write.
