Slipped
by Sarah Swandell
[Editor’s Note: Click on the triptych below to view it at full size.]
Sarah Swandell is a writer, singer/songwriter, and pastor, now on family leave to care for her toddler daughter. Her work has appeared in The Christian Century, 100 Word Story, and Ruminate.
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What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “Slipped”? The piece is all true. For the longest time the dissection at the end felt like my deepest secret. I guess it doesn’t feel as scary to share anymore. There’s a phrase, “morbid curiosity,” for a reason. I’m grateful my husband didn’t judge me for anything that happened during that time (or if he did, he’s better at keeping things from me than I from him). He chose a magnolia leaf for the tissue to rest on, a real sign of tenderness, as we examined it before the burial.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.
Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
Upcoming
12/15 • Isabelle Ness
12/22 • Catherine Bai
12/29 • Stephan Viau
01/05 • Allison Blevins
01/12 • Justin Ocelot
01/19 • Yejun Chun
01/26 • Mathieu Parsy
02/02 • Robert McBrearty
02/09 • Sarah Daly
02/16 • Wayne Lee
02/23 • Terena Elizabeth Bell
03/02 • Michael Mirolla
03/09 • Nicholas Claro
03/16 • TBD
03/23 • TBD
03/30 • TBD