Stories ~ Poems ~ Photographs ~ Essays
The Spring 2021 issue of Ascent is now available!
This is a slim issue with just one story, one essay, and one poem.
Click on the cover image below to enter the new issue.
Enjoy!
Vincent Reusch, editor
Our Authors ~ Online, 2009 to present ~ William Aarnes, Jennifer Acker, Nat Akin, Marcia Aldrich, Paul Allen, Amy Gigi Alexander, Geoff Anderson, Jacob M. Appel, Darius Atefat-Peckham, Harold Augenbraum, Karen Auvinen, Ashley Aquila, Karen Babine, Michelle Bailat-Jones, Stephanie Bane, Frederick Barthelme, Mike Barenti, Christian Barter, Rick Bass, Wendy Battin, Grace Bauer, Jeffrey Bean, Leslee Becker, Lisa Bellamy, David Bengtson, Roy Bentley, B.J. Best, MaryEllen Beveridge, Jill Birdsall, Vanessa Blakeslee, Bethany Bowman, Mary Lee Bragg, Philip Bryant, Mark Brazaitis, Kelly Browne, Beverly Burch, Michael Busk, Sigman Byrd, Scott Cameron, Roger Camp, Thom Caraway, Doug Carlson, Robin Carstensen, Aimee R. Cervenka, Robin Chapman, Ethan Chatagnier, Lucia Cherciu, Peter Chilson, Sharon Chmielarz, Kersten Christianson, Monica J. Claesson, Joanne M. Clarkson, Robert Claps, Lilah Clay, Brad Clompus, Lawrence Coates, Michael Cohen, Joan Colby, Douglas Cole, Charisse Coleman, Katharine Coles, Michael Collado, Neal Conan, Ted Conover, J.L. Conrad, Wyn Cooper, Heather Corrigan, Serena Crawford, Eric Crump, Eileen Cunniffe, Jim Dameron, Jim Daniels, Faye Rapoport DesPres, Arthur Diamond, Paul Dickey, Rochelle Distelheim, Elizabeth Dodd, Joshua Doležal, Mark Dostert, John Drury, Bruce Ducker, Pete Duval, David Ebenbach, Susan Elbe, Anna Elkins, J.J. Elliot, Harvey Ellis, Laura Ender, Ann S. Epstein, Gretel Ehrlich, Jeff Ewing, Patricia Fargnoli, Alan Feldman, Brad Felver, Jeanpaul Ferro, Gary Fincke, Bob Fischer, Spencer Fleury, Ruth Foley, Alyson Foster, Brett Foster, Matthew Gavin Frank, K.C. Frederick, Robert Froese, Pete Fromm, J. Malcom Garcia, John Garcia, Sarah Gauch, Jaimy Gordon, Sue Granzella, Josh Green, Sheldon Green, Alvin Greenberg, G.L. Grey, Joseph Gross, Amy Gustine, Tami Haaland, Justin Hamm, Jeffrey Hammond, Chad Hanson, J.R. Hanson, Michelle Shappell Harris, Natalie Harris, Lisa Ohlen Harris, Steven Harvey, Chris Haven, John Hazard, Mike Hazard, Kathleen Hellen, Laurie Hertzel, Melanie Hoffert, Richard Hoffman, B.J. Hollars, Philippa Holloway, Michael Hormolka, Pam Houston, Susan Elizabeth Howe, Christopher Howell, Janis Hubschman, T.R. Hummer, Ann Elizabeth Huston, Jeffrey Ihlenfeldt, Donald Illich, Mark Jenkins, Brad Johnson, Betsy Johnson-Miller, Jonathan Johnson, Jason M. Jones, Allison Joseph, Garret Kaizer, Libby Kalmbach, Kate Kaplan, Albert Katz, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Dore Kiesselbach, Cindy King, Heather Kirn, Laurie Klein, Robert Klose, Lisa Knopp, Tracy Koretsky, Aaron Krol, Angel LaCanfora, Thanhha Lai, Laurie Lamon, Jennifer Lang, Heather Kirn Lanier, Elisabeth Lanser-Rose, Eric Laster, Michael Lauchlan, Sydney Lea, Brianne Lee, Joan Leegant, Roger Leege, Peter Leight, Laurie Levy, Laurinda Lind, April Lindner, Frannie Lindsay, Christopher Locke, George Looney, Bret Lott, Mary Lotz, Jim Lou, Alice Lowe, Robyn Lynn, Sheila Madary, Marjorie Maddox, Al Maginnes, Dawn Marano, Jayne Marek, Debra Marquart, Bill Marsh, Daniel J. Martin, Michael Martone, Cris Mazza, David McAleavey, Lisa McCallum, Steve McDonald, Alexander McElroy, Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum, Marsha McGregor, Janet McNally, Daniel Menaker, Michelle Menting, J. Shane Mercer, Leslie Adrienne Miller, L.E. Miller, Valerie Miner, Jeff Mock, Michael Montlack, Hadley Moore, Julie L. Moore, John Morgan, Donald Morrill, N.S. Morris, Sandell Morse, Colin Morton, Rose Rappoport Moss, Elisabeth Murawski, Matthew Murrey, Jeff Muse, Randy Nelson, Lisa Norris, Tom Noyes, David O’Connell, Danielle Ofri, Lance Olsen, Costangelo Pacilio, Anne Panning, Michael Pearce, Edith Pearlman, Michael Pearce, Kristina Pfleegor, Antonio Pellicano, John Picard, Elizabeth Poliner, Mary Pope, Andrea Potos, Diane Prokop, Bernard Quetchenbach, Elizabeth Rees, Thomas Reiter, Vincent Reusch, Mark Rigney, Natalie Bryant Rizzieri, Leslie Carol Roberts, Robert Root, Maxine Rosaler, Elizabeth Rosen, Stan Rubin, Lex Runciman, Arthur Russell, Donna Salli, Reg Saner, Sarah Sarai, Jane Satterfield, Terry Savoie, Jennifer Jordan Schaller, Tina Schumann, Mark Schoenknecht, Brian Schwartz, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Claudia Serea, Peggy Shumaker, Robert Anthony Siegel, Jennifer Sinor, Judith Slater, Heather A. Slomski, Ron Smith, Suzanne Farrell Smith, Theresa D. Smith, Jessamyn Smyth, Tatjana Soli, Lucas Southworth, Richard Spilman, Joannie Stangeland, Cindy Stewart-Rinier, Laurie Stone, Katherine D. Stutzman, Caroline Sutton, Charles A. Swanson, Jill Talbot, Jason Tandon, Lois Taylor, Richard Terrill, Terry Ann Thaxton, Bonnie Thompson, Peter Tiernan, Leath Tonino, Rachel Toor, Pepper Trail, Jessica Treadway, Bill Trippe, Travis Truax, Dennis Trujillo, Laynie Tzena, Steve Ullom, Lee Upton, Nance Van Winckel, Julie Marie Wade, G.C. Waldrep, Jeanne Murray Walker, Kirsten Wasson, Amy Waterman, A.S. Waterman, Larry Watson, Charles Harper Webb, Anna Lowe Weber, J. Weintraub, Gabriel Welsch, Kory Wells, Paul Wells, Sarah M. Wells, Ingrid Wendt, John Whalen, Nathan White, Ross Wilcox, Joan Wilking, Joe Wilkins, Sunni Wilkinson, Paul Willis, Scott Withiam, Christopher Woods, Karen Wunsch, Brian Yen, Catherine Young
Our Authors ~ In print, 1975 – 2009 ~ Lee K. Abbott, Marilyn Abildskov, Felicia Ackerman, Gale Acuff, Kathleen Aguero, Liz Ahl, William Aiken, Dan Albergotti, Agha Shahid Ali, Steven Allaback, Dick Allen, Paul Allen, Steve Almond, Guri Andermann, Victoria Anderson, Dori Appel, Jacob M. Appel, Sharman Apt, Cherryl Armstrong, Harold Augenbraum, Dennis Augustyn, Paul Austin, Karen Babine, Ellyn Bache, Allison Baker, Barry Ballard, James Ballowe, W.C. Bamberger, Melissa Bank, Edward Baratta, Mike Barenti, Walter Bargen, Jane Barnes, Dorothy Barresi, Shiela Barry, Jackie Bartley, Steven Barza, Rick Bass, Wendy Battin, Steven Bauer, Craig Beaven, Anne Beck, Robin Beeman, T.J. Beitelman, Jon Bell, Marvin Bell, David Bengtson, John Bennion, Robert Bense, Boyd W. Benson, Nell Beram, Michael Beres, Laura Bernstein, Maur Bettman, George Bilgere, Jon Billman, Wendy Bishop, Maureen Bloomfield, Kristin Blumberg, Frederick Bock, Jody Bolz, Cynthia Bond, Toni de Bonneval, Kathleen Ford Bonnie, Marc Bookman, Audrey F. Borenstein, Marta Boswell, Robert Bowie, Larry Bradley, Becky Bradway, Mary Lee Bragg, John M. Brand, Tara Bray, Kelley Brennan, Kenneth Brewer, Kim Bridgford, Mae Seidment Briskin, E.M. Broner, Karen Brown, Mary Ward Brown, Sarah Browning, Philip S. Bryant, Andrea Hollander Budy, Michael J. Bugeja, Anthony Bukoski, E. Shaskan Bumas, Alan Burdick, Michael Burke, E.G. Burrows, Lynne Burris Butler, Edward Byrne, Douglas Burton-Christie, Anne C. Bromley, T. Alan Broughton, Alison Cadbury, Scott Cairns, Jennifer Call, Francois Camoin, Rick Campbell, Dan Campion, Charles Cantrell, Douglas Carlson, Nancy Naomi Carlson, Andrea L. Carter, Jared Carter, Gwendolyn Cash, James Cervantes, Steve Chamerlain, Robin Chapman, Thalia Cheronis-Selz, Kelly Cherry, Richard Chess, Peter Chilson, Sharon Chmielarz, Liana Joy Christensen, Jan Christopher, Nicholas Christopher, Robert M. Chute, Lawrence Coates, Carole Cohen, Helen Degen Cohen, Robert Cohen, Joan Colby, Charisse Coleman, Katharine Coles, Robert Collins, Marshall Cook, Paula Coomer, Wyn Cooper, Beth Copeland, Robert Cording, Stephen Corey, Peter Corodimas, Vicki Covington, Andrew Cox, Chauna Craig, Peter Craig, Jack Crawford, Paul Crenshaw, Barbara Crooker, Sara Crosby, Mary Cross, Deborah Cummins, Laura Cunningham, Daniel Curley, Arthur Curtin, John Cussen, Philip Dacey, Mick Dean, Ed Daggett, Sara Dailey, Catherine Daly, James Ryan Daley, Jim Dameron, Leo Damrosch, Julie Danho, Manoj Das, Alan Davis, Brad Davis, Debra Anne Davis, Olena Kalytiak Davis, Olivia Davis, Orman Day, Diane Shipley DeCillis, Greg Delisle, John Deming, Philip Dentinger, Peter Desy, Dan DeWeesem, Millicent G. Dillon, Paul Dilsaver, Elizabeth Dodd, Susan M. Dodd, Richard Dokey, Joshua Dolezal, Lynn Domina, William Doreski, Rita J. Doucette, Ann Douglas, Karen Douglass, James Doyle, Terry Dubow, Heather Dubrow, Joseph Duemer, David Duer, Pete Duval, Brady Earnhart, Susan Efros, Susan Elbe, Karl Elder, Jessie T. Ellison, Carol Emshwiller, Susan Engberg, Lin Enger, George Estreich, Carrie Etter, Patricia Fargnoli, Rebecca Faught, Steve Fay, Jenny Fields, Sharon Fiffer, Meg Files, Gary Fincke, Donald Finkel, Miriam Finkelstein, James Finnegan, Mary Fister, Kate Flaherty, Alice Fogel, Chris Forhan, John Foster, Carrie Fountain, H.E. Francis, Mark J. Frazier, Stephen Frech, K.C. Frederick, Diane P. Freedman, Larry French, Stuart Friebert, Philip Fried, Jeff Friedman, Helen Frost, Al Gabor, Brendan Galvin, J. Malcom Garcia, Nicholas Gatto, Madeleine Gekiere, John Gerlach, Gail Hosking Gilberg, Erika Reich Giles, Molly Giles, Joseph Gillon, Linda Walvoord Girard, Rebecca Givens, Joan Givner, Diane Glancy, Malcolm Glass, Laura Glenn, Tereze Gluck, Ulf Goebel, Patricia Goedicke, Albert Goldbarth, Lester Goldberg, Arthur Steven Goldman, Lloyd Goldman, Benjamin Goluboff, J.B. Goodenough, Richard Goodman, Mark Gordon, Roberta Gordon, Dorian Gossy, Thomas Gough, Taylor Graham, Toni Graham, Alvin Greenberg, William Greenway, Kevin Griffith, Harvey Grossinger, Particia A. Grossman, Paul Gruchow, Bruce Guernsey, Michael Guista, Max Gutmann, Becky Hagenston. John Hales, H. Palmer Hall, Rachel Hall, Ruth Hamel, Jeffrey Hammond, Lynne T. Hanley, C.J. Hannah, Twyla Hansen, Julie Jordan Hanson, Jeff Hardin, Edward Hardy, Ann Harleman, Charles Harper, Linda Lee Harper, Marina Harris, Peter Harris, Karl Harshbarger, Sydney Harth, Charles O. Hartman, Gregor Hartman, William Hathaway, James Haug, Jack Hayes, Terrance Hayes, Philip Heldrich, Robert Hellenga, Linda Heller, Christopher Helmuth, Gretchen Henderson, Barbara Henning, David Henson, Wendy Herbert, Neva Herrington, Alan V. Hewat, Joanna Higgins, Jen Hill, Robert W. Hill, Annie Hinkle, Deborah Hodge, A.C. Hoffman, Richard Hoffman, Lawrence Hogue, Jonathan Holden, Janet Holmes, Woody Holton, Brad Hooper, Laura Hope-Gill, David Hopes, Richard Horburg, Lewis B. Horne, Susan Elizabeth Howe, Christopher Howell, Meghan Howes, David Hudson, Lucinda Hughes, David M. Hull, Maria Hummel, T.R. Hummer, Randy Huntsberry, Marcia L. Hurlow, Linda Hussa, Karl Iagnemma, Elizabeth Inness-Brown, Talat Jafri, Allison Eir Jenks, Brently Johnson, Greg Johnson, Jennifer Johnson, Jonathon Johnson, Julia Johnson, R. Dean Johnson, Betsy Johnson-Miller, William Jolliff, Charles Scott Jones, Richard Jones, Allison Joseph, William Joyner, F.R. Katz, Margaret Kaufman, Wendi Kaufman, Tom Kealey, George Keithley, William Keller, Jean Kelley, Karlton Kelm, J. Patrick Kelly Lisbeth Kent, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Kathryn Kerr, Frances Kerridge, Jascha Kessler, Peter Kime, Gene Kimmet, Kevin King, Robert King, Jeanne Kinney, Judith Kitchen, Nancy Kline, James Klise, William Kloefkorn, Joann Kobin, Douglas C. Kohn, Jacqueline Kolosov, Laura Kopchick, William Knight, Christian Knoeller, Lisa Knopp, Ann B. Knox, David Kranes, Jonathan Kranz, Lynne Kuderko, V.S. Kulkarni, Natalie Kusz, Miriam Kuznets, Melody Lacina, Jane Birdsall Lander, Scott Lasser, Sydney Lea, Allen Learst, Mitchell LesCarbeau, Jonathon Levant, Kathleen Leverich, Curt Leviant, Jeffrey Levine, Laurie Levy, F.R. Lewis, Susan Lewis, Elizabeth Libbey, M.M. Liberman, Topper Lilien, Paul Lindholdt, Jim Lindstrom, Elinor Lipman, M.E. Liu, Edward Locke, Diane Lockward, Rachel Loden, Tom Lombardo, George Looney, Bret Lott, Nate Lowe, Neal Lulofs, Roslyn Rosen Lund, Alison Luterman, Wm. Lychack, Kathleen Lynch, Bonnie Lyons, R. Nikolas Macioci, Marjorie Maddox, Michael David Madonick, Kathleen Maher, Layne Maheu, Marc Malandra, Michael Patrick Malone, John Mann, Dawn Marano, Jacqueline Marcus, Mordecai Marcus, Kai Maristed, Leslie Marshall, Daniel J. Martin, Ramon E. Martinez, Michael Martone, Charles Marvin, Bobbie Ann Mason, Teresa S. Mathes, Brad Maxfield, Margo Maxwell, Wendell Mayo, Cris Mazza, Janet McAdams, David McAleavey, Clint McCown, Aaron McCollough, John McDermott, Walt McDonald, Ron McFarland, David McGlynn, Erin McGraw, Michael McMahon, Catherine McMullen, Robert McNamara, Adam McOmber, Paul McRay, Gwyn McVay, Mameve Medwed, Sara Baker Michalak, Christian Michener, Josephine Miles, Jennifer Militello, Joseph Millar, A. McA. Miller, Alyce Miller, Deborah Miller, Kevin Miller, Joan Millman, George Mills, Richard Mills, Ralph J. Mills, Jr., Valerie Miner, Jerry Mirskin, Lisa Mitchell, Roger Mitchell, Jeff Mock, Jewel Mogan, Claudie MonPere, Ander Monson, Melissa Morphew, Donald Morrill, Colin Morton, Donald Moss, Rose Rappoport Moss, Kay Murphy, G.E. Murray, Dan Myers, Les Myers, Laura Nelson, Kirk Nesset, Jack Nestor, Leonard Neufeldt, Franz Jorgen Neumann, Susan Schaefer Neville, Rebecca Newth, Barbara S. Nodine, Bink Noll, Jean Nordhaus, Sue Normolle, Lisa Norris, William Notter, Marian Novick, Tom Noyes, Jane Nudelman, D. Nurske, Naomi Shihab Nye, Nina Nyhart, Karri Offstein, Dekoven O’Leary, Julia Oliver, W. Scott Olsen, Stewart O’Nan, Brett Ortler, Carolyn Osborn, Anthony Ostroff, John O’Toole, John Palmer, Barbara Pamp, Joy Passanante, Wendy Parrish, Jamie Parsley, Ricardo Pau-Llosa, Edith Pearlman, Joel B. Peckham, Katy Pena, Simon Perchik, Tamar Perla, Allan Peterson, Jim Peterson, Levi S. Peterson, Michael Pfeifer, Roger Pfingston, Barbara Phillips, Carol J. Pierman, Debra Pokornowski, Elizabeth Poliner, Susan Ponsoldt, Patricia E. Powers, William Powers, David Pratt, Sean Prentiss, D. Prinzo, Melissa Brown Pritchard, Bernard Quetchenbach, Colin Rafferty, Phil Raisor, Sheela Ramaprian, Ladette Randolph, Paula Rankin, M. Rebecca Ransom, C.L. Rawlins, David Ray, Thomas Reiter, Suzanne Ress, Suzanne Rhodenbaugh, Luanne Rice, Oliver Rice, Ruby Riemer, Elisavietta Ritchie, Kim Roberts, Leslie Carol Roberts, Nancy Roberts, Mary Elsie Robertson, Penelope Schwartz Robinson, Susan Robinson, Billy Roche, Paulette Roeske, James Silas Rogers, Brian Ascalon Roley, David Romtvedt, Robert Root, George H. Rosen, Kenneth Rosen, A.D. Ross, Henry H. Roth, David Rothbart, Carl Royer, Sauzanne Ruta, Barbara Ryberg, James Sallis, Arthur Saltzman, Reg Saner, Terry Savoie, Catherine Scherer, Jeane Schinto, Natalie Schoen, E.M. Schorb, Max Schott, L. J. Schneiderman, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Cindie Schwartzberg, Sandra Scofield, Sonia Scott-Fleming, Heather Sellers, Peter Serchuck, Carolyn Servid, Neila Seshachari, Robbie Clipper Sethi, Gerald Shapiro, Steven Sher, Peggy Shumaker, Robert L. Selig, Thalia Selz, Jean-Mark Sens, Jim Shepard, Neil Shepard, Sophie Sheppard, Vivian Shipley, Sondra Shulman, Gail Louise Siegel, Barry Silesky, Beth Simon, Margot Singer, Pamela Painter Skeen, Dusty Sklar, Kathryn Sky-Peck, Judith Slater, Kay Sloan, Lynn Sloan, Dave Smith, J.D. Smith, Ron Smith, Sally Smits, George W. Smyth, Bruce Snider, William Jr. Snyder, Kristine Somerville, Judith Sornberger, Barry Spacks, Darrell Spencer, Kathleen Spivak, Terry Spohn, Joannie Kervran Stangeland, David Starkey, Larry Starzec, Patricia Staton, Donna Baier Stein, Susan Steinberg, Lisa M. Steinman, Marjorie Stelmach, Francine Sterle, Harry Stessel, Evelyn Stevens, Steven Stewart, Judith Saul Stix, Sheryl St. Germain, Anthony E. Stockanes, Phyllis Stowell, Judith Strasser, Nina Pelikan Straus, Marjan Strojan, Elizabeth Strout, Constance Struder, Dan Stryk, Floyd C. Stuart, Virgil Suarez, Ira Sukrungruang, Joyce Sutphen, Barbara Sutton, Nanora Sweet, Thomas Swiss, Sara Mansfield Taber, Marcia Tager, Ron Tanner, Barry Targan, Robert Jr. Taylor, Richard Terrill, Zona Teti, Terry Ann Thaxton, Denise Thomas, Jean L. Thompson, Sally Thomas, S.E. Thompson, Christopher Torockio, Alison Townsend, Grant Tracey, Margot Treitel, Robert Tremmel, Eric Trethewey, Mary Trimble, Elizabeth Trotter, Judy Troy, Mary Troy, Duncan Tucker, Lee Upton, Constance Urdang, Pamela Uschuk, Ryan Van Meter, Michael Van Wallaghan, William F. Van Wert, Nance Van Winckel, Helen Valenta, Valery Varble, Charles J. Vargo, Krishnan Varma, Christina Veladota, Bill Vermillion, Mark Vinz, Ellen Visson, Robert Vivian, Arthur Vogelsang, Mary Vogt, Karen Volkman, Kathleen Wakefield, Norman Waksler, G.C. Waldrep, Ronald Wallace, Connie Wanek, Candice Ward, Joanna Warwick, Thomas Washington, Audrey Wasson, Kirsten Wasson, Geoff Watkinson, Larry Watson, Jane O. Wayne, Margaret Weaver, Charles Harper Webb, Elizabeth Weber, Hart Wegner, Delsa Weiner, J. Weintraub, Richard Welin, Gabriel Welsch, William Wenthe, John Weser, Debbie Lee Wesselmann, W.D. Wetherell, Tony Whedon, Charles B. Wheller, Katharine Whitcomb, Gail White, Paula White, Sylvia Whitman, Gayle Whittier, Martha Wickelhaus, Carol Wickersham, Mark Van Wienen, Neurine Wiggin, Peter Wild, Joan Wilking, Diane Swartz Williams, Paul Willis, Maria Winston, Scott Withiam, Sandra Earle Worsham, Leilani Wright, Robert Wrigley, Karen Wunsch, Charles Wyatt, Pamela Yenser, Tom Yori, Richard Zabransky, Matt Zambito, Karen Zealand, Patricia Zelver, H.A. Zimmerman, Lloyd Zimpel