Bind yourself to us with your impossible voice, your voice! sole soother of this vile despair.
-Arthur Rimbaud, “Phrases”
Your Impossible Voice publishes brash and velvety new work from around the globe, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, translations, literary reviews, essays, and interviews.
Sometimes you see a title and just have a hunch it's going to be right up your alley. "Reading John Cheever During Monday Night Football" by Laton Carter is one of those stories.
By Laton Carter — "Somebody is always settling the score. On the terrace, before and after dinner—drinks, the air rich with assignation."
Step into the hauntingly beautiful world of "When Are You Going To Land" by Michael Tyler!
By Michael Tyler – She used to skinny dip in the ocean, her swimsuit at water’s edge. I would keep my shorts on and earn her daily jibes. We would laugh and dive and float on our backs in the sun’s first rays, a rented cabin on the beach was more than we could afford but we managed somehow, as...
New from Lorette C. Luzajic! It's a beautiful heartbreaker.
By Lorette C. Luzajic — "I did everything they told me, but still, I got smaller. And everything hurt, even the sunlight on my skin. I didn’t tell anyone what was going on in inside of me, how lonely it felt to know you were going to die when you were just a c**t yourself."
In the Heart of Love by Nicole F. Kimball
"Monique Gagnon secured her position on the fishing trawler thanks to her victory in a beauty contest."
Cast off with "Eight Quebecois Surnames" by Francisco García González, tr. by Bradley J. Nelson. It's the final story from issue 30 and a true marvel.
Francisco García González, translated by Bradley J. Nelson — "The ship is the San José. The language is French. The flag that waves on the mast is the insignia of Quebec. The story takes place in the future. Proximate. So close that it seems as if it has already happened."
"'You know you’re really pretty.' She pinched a half-inch of fat on my side, her fingers cold and leather-soft like a doctor’s. 'It’s just that college is different. Especially in California. I want you to be your best.'"
It's the perfect time of year for "Skinny Dipping" by Bailey Sims
Bailey Sims — “You know you’re really pretty.” She pinched a half-inch of fat on my side, her fingers cold and leather-soft like a doctor’s. “It’s just that college is different. Especially in California. I want you to be your best.”
New from Noah Leventhal out today! Tuck into "oh god. what the f**k."
By Noah Leventhal — "you are drunk. everyone is loud. the man who smells like burning sage and leather has been following you around the party. you have been longing for a quiet place to fold into."
"the innkeeper / is stretched on his bed / watching tv / wizened by years / of tending his flocks of guests / a pair of whom / lovers of indefinite age / are also horizontal / enthralled / by a towhee’s / beethovenesque / che che che / trrr…!" Enjoy a brief stay at The Desert Inn by Betsy Martin!
Betsy Martin — "the walls / are heat / and bird calls / the innkeeper / is stretched on his bed / watching tv / wizened by years / of tending his flocks of guests"
"The walk back to school collapsed into all that was to follow: the moment I turned on the evening news and saw “Uncle S—,” my son pointing at the screen; the terrifying movie in my head of the police closing in on A—’s apartment, knocking down the front door with guns pulled."
What's better than one tale by Alvin Lu? How about two? Start your week off with Two Tales by Alvin
Alvin Lu — "For there was no doubt I was being watched. The walk back to school collapsed into all that was to follow: the moment I turned on the evening news and saw 'Uncle S—,' my son pointing at the screen; the terrifying movie in my head of the police closing in on A—’s apartment, knocki...
"On Mt. Kilimanjaro / we sat, our first date. / The cat took a bath. / We licked each other’s / necks, whispered Gregorian chant."
Get your education on with "College" by Jeffrey Kingman!
Jeffrey Kingman — "On Mt. Kilimanjaro / we sat, our first date. / The cat took a bath. / We licked each other’s"
“Tijuana” by Victoria Ballesteros has been selected for the 2024 Best Small Fictions! Congratulations to all of this year's contributors.
Overview and guidelines for the Best Small Fictions annual series, published by Alternating Current Press.
“The worst thing about this story, the thing we need to remember, is that I had the money, the money to replace the printer. At some point in my life I had it, and I turned it into a tattoo, some earrings, and an avocado-shaped coin purse. You absolute mug—who the f**k even uses a coin purse?”
We absolutely love this excerpt from Lina Munar Guevara's "Imagine Breaking Everything," translated by Ellen Jones, and we know you will too!
Lina Munar Guevara, translated by Ellen Jones — "The worst thing about this story, the thing we need to remember, is that I had the money, the money to replace the printer. At some point in my life I had it, and I turned it into a tattoo, some earrings, and an avocado-shaped coin purse. You absolu...
"When it arrived, it looked familiar—like the Palestinian dessert known as “awama” (donut balls), but this time topped with chocolate syrup. I took a bite. Immediately the taste transported me far, far away in time and place."
A smell is all it takes. Check out Zeppole (aka Awama) by Khalil AbuSharekh
Khalil AbuSharekh — "When it arrived, it looked familiar—like the Palestinian dessert known as “awama” (donut balls), but this time topped with chocolate syrup. I took a bite. Immediately the taste transported me far, far away in time and place. I remembered I hadn’t tasted this flavor for...
“Supper the little children, an expatriate poet was to write of the population in Metropolitan Manila, 1990. And she who had just lost hers that windy November morning drifted aimlessly through the memorial grounds where she’d been cannibalizing tombstones of their expensive garlands.”
Don't miss "Diwata, Where She Walked" by Wilfrido Nolledo in our latest issue!
Wilfrido Nolledo — "Supper the little children, an expatriate poet was to write of the population in Metropolitan Manila, 1990. And she who had just lost hers that windy November morning drifted aimlessly through the memorial grounds where she’d been cannibalizing tombstones of their expensive g...
"This fear does me in now more than anything."
We're fortunate to have another fantastic piece by the great Ricardo Piglia, translated by the enormously talented Erik Noonan, in issue 30. Don't miss The Wall!
Ricardo Piglia, translated by Erik Noonan — "This fear does me in now more than anything. Before, at times, I would sometimes remember the curve and dark bulk of the freight coming toward me, I’d remember the crash and I’d wake up in a sweat then force myself to think about what I’d seen dur...
"When you’re in love, your heart does not lie about your lover. If your heart tells you they’re cheating, know ye that they are cheating. Say what … your heart will what …? It’s like something is wrong with you. Why will your heart tell the story? Are we lovers?"
"Crying Spirit" by Kasimma is out now in issue 30!
Kasimma — "Just look at you! Yes, you. Don’t even incur a slap by looking around as if you’re confused. Your senses are very much intact. Look at you, sitting on Dollar Tree’s cold ground, beside the opened fridge, breathing frosty air. The smallest bowl of ice cream sits like a lover beside...
"The first thing I want you to know is that I love
the circle you drew in the sand
with your finger. It has one
too many corners, but it is a thing of you"
Monday is a little easier to take with "i really love the little things that go unnoticed" by Philip Jason!
Philip Jason — "The first thing I want you to know is that I love / the circle you drew in the sand / with your finger. It has one / too many corners, but it is a thing of you"
"Does this moment reveal any signs? Only a life whose contours and whose nature remain utterly mysterious to me. At the time, I remember that I understood my task to be finished, in a vanishing moment of clarity. I switched the camcorder off, held it close, tiptoed through the alley to the car, a block away, and never returned."
Celebrate Friday with a little bit of voyeurism courtesy of "Five Shots of Gay Sam, 2009-10" by Daniel David Froid!
Daniel David Froid — "The man’s identity, of course, is the whole point. But this video does not yield much. From sartorial details alone, it seems difficult to extract any further information about his life, his secret doings, or his proclivities—to derive any signs."
"Not long ago it was the eleven-year anniversary of my grandfather’s su***de and the ten-year anniversary of my grandmother’s death. It’s been two years since I wrote a text to set them free."
Don't miss this story of metals moving mysteriously by Bruno Lloret and translated by Ellen Jones in our latest issue!
By Bruno Lloret, translated by Ellen Jones — "As I finish writing this, without knowing that I’m writing it, my mum gives me a gold crab on a chain."
"Having to talk doesn’t make her happy.
She feels put on the spot, doesn’t like
the pitch of her voice, can’t ignore the way
her left hand waves about unless she focuses
on keeping it still."
Get "happy" with William Aarnes in YIV #30!
William Aarnes—"Having to talk doesn’t make her happy. / She feels put on the spot, doesn’t like / the pitch of her voice, can’t ignore the way / her left hand waves about unless she focuses"
"The women standing behind their market stalls glared as their customers choked and coughed on the fumes. But me a little pixie sprite of a girl, I jumped right onto the back of the bike and gripped Nova’s waist with my little hands. She opened the throttle and the beast shot us onto the thoroughfare, weaving between traffic, dipping to left and right like the debutante at the ball."
Go for a drive with "Nova" courtesy of Veronica Wasson!
Veronica Wasson—"As a young man, Veronica allowed her beard to grow wild and bushy like Almighty Zeus, like a mountain man, like a drifter. With her torn jeans and scavenged T-shirts, she looked disreputable and women avoided her, but certain men were drawn to her."
"Time for the thermal filter now,” Mom says. Her brow is furrowed as she watches the screen, and I realize she’s seen this video dozens of times."
Don't miss "Fake Moon" by Amy DeBellis
Amy DeBellis — "August in Alabama: air thick with mosquitoes, crickets chirping hoarse and ragged, fireflies blinking on and off like stars gone wrong."
Issue thirty is searching, seeking, straining for roots, for mothers, for stylish shoes, and The Truth. It's about mysterious X-rays and golden crabs, motorcycles and masquerades, joyful silences and mild underhavens. It's voyeuristic, nostalgic, and completely out to sea.
Featuring daring new work and translations by Jeffrey Kingman, Veronica Wasson, Kasimma, Wilfrido Nolledo, Amy DeBellis, Khalil AbuSharekh, Lina Munar Guevara and Ellen Jones, Daniel David Froid, Ricardo Piglia and Erik Noonan, Bailey Sims, Francisco García González and Bradley J. Nelson, William Aarnes, Philip Jason, Bruno Lloret and Ellen Jones, Betsy Martin, Nicole F. Kimball, and Alvin Lu.
Issue thirty is searching, seeking, straining for roots, for mothers, for stylish shoes, and The Truth. It's about mysterious X-rays and golden crabs, motorcycles and masquerades, joyful silences and mild underhavens. It's voyeuristic, nostalgic, and completely out to sea.
Today's is a seaside marvel by Tiff M. Z. Lee. Get swept away in Tidepool Sestina.
By Tiff M. Z. Lee — "When the tide is low, it reminds me of our honeymoon—holding hands as we balance on rocky islands emerging from the sea, hair wavy with salt spray, feeling lucky to be here."
Today's flash from Brendan Todt will have you jumping up and down shouting old man leave!
By Brendan Todt — "Sarah takes her niece and nephew to the trampoline park and for thirty-six minutes mistakes another boy in a blue tee and shorts for her nephew, who suddenly appears behind her to ask for money for a slushie, which she gives him."
"Reading this book feels like an intimacy. But this intimacy differs from the intimacy one might feel reading The White Book with the incipient erotics of youth. The intimacy one feels with Tzanakis’s book is an erotic of composition. The reproductions of drawings and written fragments are all done on lined notebook paper. Lines twisting on themselves into faces and flowers then decorated with text feel private."
About twenty years ago, I stole a translation of Jean Cocteau’s The White Book because the owner was homophobic. I suppose I believe (or at least hope) books find the right readers.
Get transported to a Night at St. Pierre Hospital 2020 in this small but mighty , courtesy of author Angeline Schellenberg!
By Angeline Schellenberg —"She keeps close to the courtyard window she came through, her ears tuned to nurses’ flats slapping down the hallway. Her brother’s shaky hand reaches across the tray for a water glass."
We are thrilled to share the second of our two new selections from Annette Gulati! We love how this one complements Tuesday's story, "Her First Dead Body."
By Annette Gulati – "She never sees her ailing mother. She only listens to her on the telephone, rattling on about the dialysis treatments, the trips to the emergency room, the stabbing pain in her abdomen. Likely the cancer."
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Recommended Reading: The Scent by L. Soviero appearing at Overheard! https://overheardlit.org/prose/the-scent
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