Tag Archives: Vignette
I beat up fascists
Tiny story: The advantages of scraps and shards
Tiny story: Life’s things
Tiny story: Musical leftovers
Writing for liberation exercise: odd moments
It can be nice, and freeing, to move away from the typical (overused, cliche) plot points of murder, marriage, affairs, and winning, to just honing in on a single, strange moment. I like these moments because they are so humanising, and precisely because they can counter the Hollywood cliches about life and what is exciting … Continue reading
What is dance?
Venezuela. The day Florcita understood what dance was, she was waiting for a Communist Party meeting to start. Two comrades arrived in their car. They were in their eighties, and had been active for decades, including when the party was underground and repressed. The woman had had a stroke a year ago, and with help … Continue reading
Tiny story: things that are in proportion
Too much water
I’m sleeping, surrounded by pillows and a warm doona. It feels like soft flowing hills. Outside, there are storms. They gather around the city like hungry seagulls. Greedy rumbles and too much water. Overflowing concrete barrios and broken stone roads and rubbish pile-ups by drains and nearby a town that will slide down the hill … Continue reading
The balloon seller
Her mass of taut and floating balloons seems heavy. The Puebla street is five layers of flaking paint visible on the lamp post. It’s anxious crowds shopping slowly between the two stories of old buildings and churches and rubbish bins spilling over with taco and cemita wrapping. Among the balloon sellers and crowds you don’t … Continue reading
Writing for liberation exercise: “Preaching” politics
Some journalists, writers, and fiction authors would argue that when we have a social justice message we should communicate it subtly through situation, rather than stating the message outright. Many argue that this method respects the reader more – they’ll understand. On the other hand, respect can also be just saying what you mean, clearly, … Continue reading
