It’s December, and we’re happier than a chickadee on a peanut-buttered pinecone to present the perfect read for the shortest day of the year: an all-poetry-and-flash issue. Some of these pieces invest ordinary settings―a grocery store, a movie theater, a kitchen―with a remarkable sense of place. Others go for striking imagery―a scorched Venetian mask, a spinning pie, a black balloon. This month’s cover collage is from Renaissance woman Deanne Richards.

To avoid ruining a quick but intensely memorable read with a long-winded introduction, I will conclude by observing that Issue 73 would pair well with a crackling fire and a warm slice of gingerbread.

Snuffle it online or lap up the .pdf.

We’re psyched to announce our Pushcart Prize Nominees for this year:

Brooke Glass-O’Shea, “We Break Up in Multiple Universes”

J. D. Hager, “Brontosaurus”

Ashley Hutson, “My Friends Live on My Bed”

Michael Mingo, “The Action Never Stops at Action Park”

Matthew Myers, “Where’s the Best BBQ in This Town?”

Sloan Thomas, “The Nature of Johnny’s Medicine”

We also want to extend a virtual laurel and hearty handshake to ALL of our writers and readers–we don’t publish anything unless we love it, and there’s no point in publishing anything unless someone is there to enjoy it.

Please keep those submissions coming! We’re still accepting submissions for the Sherlock Holmes issue through December 30, 2015, and we’re always open for regular submissions.

With Thanksgiving lumbering toward us like a fat feathered dinosaur, we are pleased to present three stories about family and two stories about food in Issue 72.

In Chelsea Hanna Cohen‘s marine creation tale, an axe-wielding dad indulges in corporal punishment on “Sedna’s Hands” with surprising results. Maria Pinto describes a peculiar (and heartbreaking) “Response to the News,” and C.B. Auder explains, in a surreal way, why “We Cannot Become What We Need to Be by Remaining What We Are.” Anthony Cordello explores the unique dangers of being a “Dishroom Supervisor” in a Chinese restaurant; meanwhile, Marcel Harper drops a hell of a secret ingredient into the chili in “Heatseeker.” This month’s delicate Doggie de los Muertos cover art was created by the exquisitely named Loulabelle Hales.

Masticate it online or slurp the .pdf. And don’t forget to leave cranberry-sauce handprints on your front door, unless you want Turkasaurus devouring all your leftovers and half your children while you sleep.