On "How to Become a Regular" by Courtney Kelsch (604 words) ***

The story as advice column--it's a gimmick used often enough that it's familiar but not so often that it isn't unique each time one sees it. Such stories have a way of standing out, perhaps because the genre is difficult to manage in a way that tells a story. Kelsch's piece here manages to convey a kind of sadness on the part of its narrator--not "you" but "we"--the tired-out waitresses at a diner who wish simply for some other existence. I know the feeling, and the good thing is that most of the time, other lives do come. Most of the time. Read the story here at the Angler.