On "Rebellion" by Thomas McConnell (1096 words) ***

This short story hints at the horror that can sometimes subsume McConnell's fiction. In it, a mother--in the midst of a civil war--works to gather what she can to save her family. We're not quite sure what she's working for until a good chunk of the way into the story, and then things just go downhill from there. Read the story here at Cortland Review.

On "Company" by Claudia Smith (310 words) ****

A good piece of flash fiction packs so much into its words that you're left wondering exactly what happened, exactly how it made you laugh or jump or cry. This piece's wallop occurs in the last line, hinting at something deeper than you might imagine this story is at first directed toward, something that made me tingle a little bit in a bad way--good stuff. Read the story here at the Cortland Review.