A Slight Change in Tonight’s Performance
by Annie Berke
Management: Circle the one that applies—
The role of the Wife and Mother will be played by an illustrious Juilliard graduate.
The role of the Wife and Mother will be played by your husband’s sexiest ex-girlfriend.
The role of the Wife and Mother will be played by a housecat who is a touch psychic.
The role of the Wife and Mother will be played by a rickety broomstick.
The role of the Wife and Mother will be played by a broken mood ring.
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Ladies and gentlemen, we ask you to bear with us as we make this delicate but necessary transition. The Wife and Mother will endure her replacement with tact – and, we suspect, no small amount of relief. She will slip wordlessly out the stage door, the performance being already in progress.
Annie Berke is a scholar of film and television, a freelance writer, and the Film Editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books. She lives in Maryland.
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What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “A Slight Change in Tonight’s Performance”? After my son threw down his sippy cup for the 400th time, the milk splattered on the floor and spelled out the words of this micro-fiction. I am but a humble scribe.
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Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
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Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again March 15, 2023. Submit here.
Upcoming
09/09 • Rae Gourmand
09/16 • Chiwenite Onyekwelu
09/23 • TBD
09/30 • TBD