The Gift
by Suzanne Verrall
my grandmother gave us
a set of knucklebones
to play with
she said they were
from last night’s
mutton stew
but I’ve seen
the way
she wrings her hands
Suzanne Verrall lives in Adelaide, Australia. Her flash fiction, essays and poetry appear in Atlas and Alice, Flash Frontier, Archer Magazine, Lip
Magazine, Poetry NZ Yearbook, Australian Poetry Journal, and others. www.suzanneverrall.com
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What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “The Gift”? I was thinking about family and generations and sacrifices when I wrote this poem. I almost wish Charles Simic had written it just so I could see
what he would have called it. I envy the way he uses an unexpected title to add an extra dimension to a poem. I’d ask him, but I don’t have his email.
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 OPEN. The submission period closes June 15, 2020; submit here.
Upcoming
04/02 • Sarah Sousa (1 of 10)
04/06 • Curtis Smith
04/08 • Kim Magowan
04/09 • Sarah Sousa (2 of 10)
04/13 • Agnieszka Filipek
04/15 • Robert McBrearty
04/16 • Sarah Sousa (3 of 10)
04/20 • Christen Kauffman
04/22 • Sara Backer
04/23 • Sarah Sousa (4 of 10)
04/27 • Christopher James
04/29 • JC Reilly
04/30 • Sarah Sousa (5 of 10)
05/04 • Alisa Golden
05/06 • Frances Badgett
05/07 • Sarah Sousa (6 of 10)
05/11 • Townsend Walker
05/13 • Jeanie Greensfelder
05/14 • Sarah Sousa (7 of 10)
05/18 • Adrian Potter
05/20 • Mary Lou Buschi
05/21 • Sarah Sousa (8 of 10)
05/25 • Foster Trecost
05/27 • Michael Credico
05/28 • Sarah Sousa (9 of 10)
06/01 • Carol Guess
06/03 • TBD
06/04 • Sarah Sousa (10 of 10)
06/08 • TBD
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06/11 • Fergus MacRoich (1 of 8)
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06/18 • Fergus MacRoich (2 of 8)
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06/25 • Fergus MacRoich (3 of 8)
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07/01 • TBD
07/02 • Fergus MacRoich (4 of 8)
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07/09 • Fergus MacRoich (5 of 8)
07/13 • TBD
07/15 • TBD
07/16 • Fergus MacRoich (6 of 8)
07/20 • TBD
07/22 • TBD
07/23 • Fergus MacRoich (7 of 8)
07/27 • TBD
07/29 • TBD
07/30 • Fergus MacRoich (8 of 8)
08/03 • TBD
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08/31 • TBD
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09/21 • TBD