What We’re Talking About in Issue 0904 (June 2025)
The complete table of contents as it appears in the June 2025 issue of Blank Spaces.
from the editor—Seeing in the Dark
shameless — In Stumbling Blindly Towards Grace Yvonne Marie Garvey offers a meditation on the paradox of vision and shares how losing sight while battling addiction became a path to clarity.
Jack Stilborn presents a tender memoir about the vivid inner worlds we create as children and the bittersweet process of leaving them behind in My Secret Life as a Car.
Through the sterile ritual of hospital preparations, Claire McNeight reflects on how career devotion transformed from passion to burden, exploring the body’s silent account of stress and the possibility of renewal beyond the relentless buzz of obligation in her brief piece, Time Out.
flash fiction — Corinna, Entangled by Jill Nash is a contemplative story about loneliness, belonging, and the invisible architecture of human connection.
Set in a medieval fantasy world, Glen Weatherhead’s The Letter From Leif is an intimate tale exploring duty, sacrifice, and the unexpected grace found when presumed loss transforms into joyful reunion.
red solo cup — Through five compelling poems—Elephant Skin, Shed, The Fence, We, and The Choice—Raye Hendrickson shares an intimate exploration of emotional exposure and the delicate negotiations between protection and intimacy.
fiction — In Cruel Children Carrying Carrion, Elle Warr-Addae delivers a haunting tale of childhood innocence twisted by neglect, where two young brothers navigate a desolate landscape of violence and abandonment with unsettling matter-of-factness.
Father Time by Nick Perry is a haunting meditation on memory, loss, and the precious fragility of familial bonds as Alzheimer’s slowly erases a grandfather’s recognition of his own bloodline.
A teacher’s confrontation with childhood cruelty—both witnessed and remembered—reveals the weight of shame and the fragile hope of redemption in Joel Smith’s story, Cold Cuts.
story matters — In Beyond the Page: Unconventional Marketing for Fiction Authors, Alanna Rusnak shares how authors can break through the noise of an over-saturated market by transforming their fictional worlds into immersive, multi-sensory experiences that turn casual readers into passionate advocates.
different strokes — Rebecca St. Pierre’s ethereal composite photography invites contemplation of our fragile ecosystems through dreamlike avian imagery that bridges reality and imagination in her collection Winged Tapestry.
more than words — In her photo essay Owl Spotting, wildlife photographer Alline Cormier’s evocative images capture the quiet wonder and fragile beauty of British Columbia’s elusive forest dwellers.
between the lines — Liz Torlée brings us a review of Reflections and Reveries, the poetry collection by Canadian author and long-time Blank Spaces resident book-reviewer, Gail M. Murray.
write prompt challenge winner — Alyssa Bushell presented a strong contest entry with her short fiction Lionel Wexelbaum Will Not Wake Up, one that the judges called “eerie” and “a delight.”
final word — In Everybody Knows the Artist Dies, Justin Pulice presents an exploration of artistic creation as divine theft, examining how beauty born from loss carries the weight of mortality and sacrifice.
