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Articles, Essays & videos, Plus Historical Fiction
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By Pippa Abernathy
Editor's Note: This piece contains spoilers for Kindred and mentions topics such as abuse, slavery, and other potentially triggering topics. 
After an unacceptably long time, I finally had a chance to read Octavia Butler's Kindred. It was a telling narrative of the ways women, particularly Black women, are expected to support a white man without question. It also highlights the way that familial bonds are used to manipulate and further abuse those who are victims of it.
Though I am not Black, Butler's work finally helped me realize I couldn't help my own Rufus Weylin: my ex-boyfriend.
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 Dear Quail Bell readers,
It has come to our attention that "WACKOdemics!", a piece we published by Mick McGrath, was not quite the fiction the author claimed it to be. Rather, based upon insight from those who know him in person, it was more of a manifesto pushing his misogynist and racist beliefs—which he has shared widely in academic settings. We thought the piece was a work of fiction not only because the author labeled it as such but because of its absurd details. The narrator reports hearing voices from the TV, believes Jesus regularly tripped on mushrooms, and mentions a recurring dream about living in a padded cell. We thought the work meant to criticize real-life men like the narrator, not celebrate them. In publishing this story, we did not in any way mean to promote the narrator's vile views. We have since removed the story from our website and social media. We apologize for negatively affecting anyone by publishing this work. For a reminder of our publication's mission and values, please visit our 'About' page. Feathery Hugs, The Editors The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A good book review, in my opinion, should lay out everything the reader should know before purchasing a book. Obviously, there are details the critic can’t explain in full, but they should give enough of an idea of the book’s plot, content, themes, and other details readers could find interesting. This primarily applies to fiction and nonfiction, since these are books that can sell based entirely on character descriptions and plot summaries.
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 The scene: A large dinner party, two or three years ago. Mostly 20 and 30-somethings crowd the table over a decadent, very Instagrammable meal.
Character: A loud white man in his early 30s. Dialogue: “I just look at single people and say, “Haha, you’re single! I’m married!” Needless to say, he was not my favorite person at the party. Do you really need any more context to know he’s obnoxious? The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Melissa Schack
Author Gila Green is a novelist of four books living in Israel. Herlatest novel, No Entry, is a testament to the author’s perseverance. Not only did the release get hampered by Australian wildfires, but COVID-19 has complicated matters as well. Hopefully, the sequel to No Entry will gain a smoother path.
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 "Masked Beneath the Stars" by Christine Sloan Stoddard You know how some teachers plant words in your head? And you remember exactly what they said weeks, months, and even years later? Many elderly folks can recall exact lessons and phrases from different teachers throughout their formal education. Just ask one…in a socially distanced approved way, of course. One of my photography professors seemed orgasmically obsessed with the work of photographer Lucas Blalock. He couldn’t shut up about him. So, as a bright-eyed MFA student, I made plans to attend Blalock’s March 2018 artist talk at the School of Visual Arts as soon as I heard about it.
My professor had shown us dozens of Blalock’s photographs and described them as pieces that betrayed their labor processes. Blalock is strongly influenced by Bertolt Brecht, the German theatre dude who believed theatre must reveal its labor. Typical Socialist stuff, much of which I can get behind, at least in theory (practice is another matter). Unfortunately, I did not learn much more about Blalock’s work after attending his artist talk. His content only reinforced the fact that white male artists can produce mediocre, or at least one-note, work and get lauded for it. Like I’ve written before, only a white guy could get away with being Andy Warhol. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By James Brownold  I have to start by apologizing: I’m currently in a beach house on the coast in Puerto Rico with my girlfriend Julie. Okay, I can see the nasty looks and hand gestures you’re giving me from here, thank you very much.
We came from New York just when the virus was about to arrive in the U.S. It was a fortunate accident of timing. We planned on staying for 10 days. (Insert hysterical laughter here.) Now the plan is to stay here until the COVID-19 pandemic begins to subside there (Thanksgiving?) or until we run out of money. I know that what’s going on in the continental states is much worse than what’s happening here and I don’t want to seem like I’m gloating, so take comfort in the fact that I won’t include any sunset photos. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Melissa Schack
Courtney LeBlanc is a poet based in Arlington, Virginia. She has released two chapbooks All in the Family and The Violence Within. The Pushcart Prize nominee’s latest Beautiful and Full of Monsters is a collection of poetry full of raw emotions and imagery. Her views on love and relationships are relatable and enlightening.
You can catch her writings on her blog, or read her poems right here in Quail Bell Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @WordPerv, Facebook, or Instagram @wordperv79. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
 The gentle lull of lazy summer days hasn’t hit yet and it won’t this year. It’s an anxious lull. In quarantine, I’ve resorted to taking baths like I’m a newborn again. I even use baby bath and pop a rubber ducky in the water. Bubble baths are part of my new normal. I indulge in other little ways as I can, mainly through eating decadently and watching movies without my former art school snobbery. But it’s not just my downtime that has taken a shift; it’s my work, too.
One specific shift I have noticed in my creative practice is my output of repetitive artwork. I don’t mean redundant artwork, where I harp on the same themes or visual imagery from piece to piece (though I’ve certainly been guilty of that.) I mean repetitive artwork as in visual art created by repeating the same motions or tasks over and over. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Editor's Note: This piece was first published in Pulp Magazine.  I recently read an article that listed the “types” of orgasm a woman can have. My partner and I stared wide-eyed when reading through this list, confused at how someone would publish an article stating that further research is needed to decipher what causes a “nipple orgasm.”
Apparently, it couldn’t possibly be because it simply feels good. |
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