Wake up. There’s dishes in the sink, an unused car in the driveway. Flip to the internet, and there it is, finally, the real truth about lockdowns, the thing they will never tell you: lockdowns decrease the size of your penis. I run to the bathroom and have a look down there. “Seems…
Fiction / Literature / politics / Writing
I badly need this guy’s hair. So much debate and politicking these days… The fact is, no one has firm answers in this strange time in which we find ourselves. Mark Paxson is one of the most thoughtful bloggers out there, always seeming to engage in discussion without entrenching on a side. He posted lately…
Blog / Fiction / life / Literature / Short Story / Writing
I want this girl’s hair! No stories this week! Just wanted to say that I’m pushing on edits of my book, thanks to a couple of wonderful blog buddies that I called out in my last post (https://trentlewin.com/2020/05/03/the-arms-of-village/) – they helped with tremendous suggestions and edits. Hope to illustrate the publishing journey through the blog,…
Fiction / life / Literature / Short Story / Writing
In a field of garbage, when you stoop to retrieve an aluminum can with your lips, you taste a little of what once was in there. EEEE remembers makeshift boots made of tape, and animals darting away. He remembers plastic bags full of alum, the lightest metal, and tracking out of the waste to…
Fiction / life / Literature / Short Story / Writing
“Come work in the call centre with me,” says the Indian boy. “Saying that because you’re drunk,” I tell him. “Not at all.” He chugs his beer. “Why does a broke boy come to India?” “Have you ever been to Brandon, Manitoba? Ever experienced being the worst student in Brandon, Manitoba?”…
I’m definitely not going to talk about my existence in the current weird world, because I have nothing to add and nothing funny or interesting seems to happen. I got nothing. I do have stuff to write though. As always, appreciate those of you who read. I have some stuff written that I’ll eventually post…
Well, not great news. I didn’t make the shortlist. Five people out of thirty-two did, and I congratulate them heartily. It isn’t easy getting this far. I figure that only 1% of the entrants got long listed, so that’s something. And this is the second time I’ve been long listed in a row. And once…
Some of you will know exactly what I mean by this, but when you set out to write and push an idea, you have no idea what you’re really doing. You just put words on a page and stuff comes out. The first draft is so trash. The second draft is make or break, either…
Hi all, really privileged to have made the short story prize longlist for the CBC contest. Just released today: 32 people have been shortlisted out of about 2,400 submissions. This is actually the second year straight I’ve been longlisted in this contest! If you’re up for it, have a look here and you can see…
Mary is fifty pounds overweight. The building she works in is forty-seven storeys tall, but she only sees the lobby. She has calculated how many people work in a forty-seven storey building. It must be hundreds, but she never sees any of them, because her time behind the security guard desk is a night…
Plenty: A Story in Pictures Plenty: A Story in Words Smiling, faking, fast, that’s his face. That’s the last I’ll see of it. A mouth opens and shooting stars come out. “Here she comes,” whispers grandfather. It’s a wave.…
She comes out of the gate wearing jeans and a backpack. Jeans! When did she start wearing those? “Hi,” she says. “Radhika?” I ask. She gives me a hug and slips a bag of airplane peanuts into my pocket. “Who else? Some other cousin you were expecting?” “How’s India?” …
