Fiction Commons^™

Birds Don't Fly Here, Sarah Mcraney

Honors Theses

Birds Don’t Fly Here is a novella that follows Elora Maevry. She spent her life feeling like an outsider in her own home. She felt like her Nanny was her only true family, but when her Nanny passes away, Elora is forced to confront her family issues while struggling with grief. Elora is forced to make a decision. She can keep flying away or finally face the truth that has caged her. This story includes themes like grief, mental health issues, abandonment, love, and the complications of relationships.

The Things We Lose And Other Haunted Stories, Michaela Arnice Reed

Fiction MFA Theses

Inspired by Southern Gothic fiction and speculative short fiction, the stories in "The Things We Lose and Other Haunted Stories" explore the realms of otherness, loss, and family relationships. Though not always supernatural, each story contains a ghostly element which haunts the characters, pushing them out of their comfort zones so they may confront and grow from the fears and phenomena which threaten to break them.

I Am Guillotine, Nathanael Joseph Williams

Fiction MFA Theses

63 years after the Mad War, an exchange of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, a twelve-year old girl wakes up on a train. She has no memory of where she comes from or who she was before the train, but when it stops, there is no doubt that she is now a slave. Brought to the town of Bludgeonburg in chains, she is sold off, along with a boy named Mohawk, to a man named Aabrax as a pit slave. The odd are firmly against Aabrax, and Gilly is not expected to survive, but by a stroke of luck, she …

The Squeeze, Sam Fletcher

Best Integrated Writing

In this short story, Sam Fletcher gives a glimpse into the world of Army Engineers. Through the lens of an outsider’s perspective, this story showcases the sometimes-tenuous relationship that accompanies working with ally forces during the global war on terror. While this story is a work of fiction, it mirrors the very real connections formed by exposure to danger and shared hardship. It is dedicated to the brave Engineers Fletcher served with who risked their lives to ensure the safety of others.

Bleu Pour Toujours (Blue Forever), Macha Petre

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Since this short story is written in French, the abstract below is available in both English and French.

Bleu pour toujours (« Blue Forever ») is a short story blending poetry and science fiction. In the near future, war, pollution, and human activity have devastated our world. The blue sky exists only in history books or old photographs. Amid this gray, monotonous despair, an unnamed, ageless, and genderless character escapes one evening and makes unsettling discoveries. Something is stirring. Upon waking, they find everyone has vanished, and the laws of the universe have been upended. In place of the sky …

Update, Steven Burton

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

An original short story that explores the intersection of technology, healthcare, morality, and familial relationships in another world.

Brain Fog: An Adventure: Part One, Amalia Mihalakakos

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

My book was developed through research on creating believable characters and how to write effectively for elementary schoolers. The goal of this project was to have a book that, when finished being written, any child could pick up and find peace. I hoped that every reader would learn something new about a culture they are unfamiliar with or about themselves. For children, developing empathy and a deeper understanding of others can have a lasting impact. Not only does empathy and understanding provide a foundation for other skills, but it can also begin to evolve and grow over time. Brain Fog: …

The Red Sweater, Ty Rea

Creative Writing Club - Short Stories / Flash Stories

A short story about someone finding a sweater and trying to look for the owner.

Nokomis, Madeline Avila, Jack Guimont, Jack Mulvaney, Elida Roskamp, Ashley Shorba, Lucy Severson, Emily Sowers, David Estrada, Osvin Baltazar Gonzalez, Ashley Campbell, Grace Emiliusen, Zoey Cavanaugh, Elysia Beynon, Caitlin Larsen, Drake Onyx, Ava Diekmann, Alivia Tima, Emily Hill, Kiera Norman, Sunehra Subah, Jaydon Wilson, Lydia Domaille, Linda Moua, Mandie Schmidt, Sarah Huderle, Elizabeth Schneider, Bonnie Ni, Natalie Leet, Koda Mueller, Jackie Velishek, Helena Dowler, Allen Wedekind, Lauryn Schleusner, Kiera Norman, Dorothy Moore, Zoeh Cavanaugh, David Estrada

Irotas

Nokomis is the 2025 annual online student journal of the arts created and published by Winona State University students. Nokomi (2025) and Irotas (2024) are sibling journals to the Satori Student Literary Magazine. The inaugural issue of Irotas was published in 2024 and Nokomis in 2025.

Design and Technical Editors: Madeline AvilaJack Guimont, Jack Mulvaney

Fiction Editors: Jack Guimont, Jack Mulvaney, Elida Roskamp

Art Editors: Lucy Severson, Emily Sowers

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Liberty Kohn, Professor of English

The Lantern, 2024-2025, Gianna Mccarthy, Naila Twyman, Catherine Stump, Keegan Mcgowan, Owen Fazzini, Leo Quinn, Danny Mcgrath, Antara Dabral, Mason Jolivette, Hailey Clark, Rachel Wascoe, Miara Truog Sebouhian, Livia M. Nocito, Anita Farrell, Ash Hawkes, Olivia Christina Mae Neri, Izabella Entrekin, Andrew Mihniak, Jacob Sheiner, Matilda Dumaine, Gregory Devinis, Amber Leech, Nia Johnson, Christopher Gerrow, Derek Matarazzo, Sidney Belleroche, Ze'ev Shaheen, Madeline O'Connor, Sharon Gearhart, Abigail Prince, Vienna Gurev, Bill O'Keefe, Matthew Wisecarver, Michael Nieves-Hoblin, Shiloh Bloom, Kelsey Lyons, Emily Britland, Paige R. Dickerman, Elliott Hannam, Aidan Nadell

The Lantern Literary Magazines, 1933 to Present

Advice of a Woman • Only • The Hole • America's Grandchildren • Car Exhaust • Stamped On • Helen • Sacrifice Divine • in some future time • Liquid Fire • My Deepest Apologies • Nightlife • On Angels • Trigger Warning • Can I Paint You a Hypothetical? • The Garden • The Ghost Orchard • The Middle • The Stranger • Tide • Unrest • we often speak of abusive remembrance • Bitters • Blind Date • Brother's Keeper • Cooking Tutorial • The Reservation • I Caught a Moose in a Mouse Trap • It Came …

Saga Vol.88 / 2024-25, Megan Yarusso, Gaia Splendore

SAGA Art & Literary Magazine

No abstract provided.

2025 Spring Quiz & Quill Magazine, English Department

Quiz and Quill

No abstract provided.

Satori 2025, Jack Guimont, Elida Roskamp, Lucy Severson, Ashley Shorba, Emily Sowers, Jack Mulvaney, Madeline Avila, Osvin Baltazar Gonzalez, Celia Stern, Kiera Norman, Ashleigh Campbell, Allen Wedekind, Dorothy Moore, Caitlin Larsen, Jackie Velishek, Jaydon Wilson, Elysia Beynon, Grace Emiliusen, Sunehra Subah, Elena Kulschar, Zoey Cavanaugh, Alivia Tima, Jed Nelson, Draconian Onyz, Ava Diekmann, Elly Herrick, Helena Dowler, Kristin Victor, Elizabeth Schneider, Isabel Teitelbaum, Greta Kirsch, Sarah Huderle, Caleb Kottke, Maria Windley-Daoust, Tim Galvin, Kaylee Nickisch

Satori Literary Magazine

The Satori is a student literary publication that expresses the artistic spirit of the students of Winona State University. Student poetry, prose, and graphic art are published in the Satori every spring since 1970.

The Satori 2025 editors and creators are:

Design and Technical Editors: Elida Roskamp, Lucy Severson, Ashley Shorba, Emily Sowers

Fiction Editors: Jack Guimont, Jack Mulvaney, Elida Roskamp

Poetry Editors: Madeline Avila, Ashley Shorba

Art Editors: Lucy Severson, Emily Sowers

Vibe Coordinator: Jack Guimont

The Satori 2025 faculty advisor is Dr. Liberty Kohn, Professor of English

Includes the annual WSU English Department prize winners:

2025 Winona Prize …

Representation Of South Asians In U.S. American Children’S Picture Books, Eman A. Chaudhry

Senior Theses

One potential cause of racism against South Asian Americans in school could be the lack of authentic representation of South Asians in the media. A method to properly depict them is via children’s picture books, which can be used to explore different cultures within the classroom. I examined the current landscape of American children’s picture books that depict South Asians and found that the most authentic portrayals included characters embracing certain holidays or traditions. Additionally, I researched issues that affect the South Asian community, one of which includes the stigmatization of mental health. Drawing on my own experiences, I wrote …

First Who Knew, A. M. Gray

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.

The Sea Pony, Pia Quintano

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.

The Toll Road, Caitlin E. Timmins

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.

Poolside, Robert Earle

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.

Contributors

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.

The Lindenwood Review, Issue 15 (2025), Full Issue

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.