The Common

"When he returned to the surface, his ears popped, and he swore he could hear the sky." A heartbreaking story about the assemblage of relationships we have with nature and each other, Shane Castle's "Ponderosa" is not to be missed. Check it out below! thecommononline.org/ponderos…

"It was beetles, pine-bark beetles—thousands, maybe millions, gnawing their way through the brittle red bark of his trees. No, he said as if to someone." In Shane Castle's "Ponderosa," the trees are everything — and they're in danger. Read below! thecommononline.org/ponderos…

Issue 28 poem "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Matthew Tuckner (@tuckner_matthew) contrasts a romantic memory with the stark, industrial imagery of a superfund site. thecommononline.org/the-decl…

Zoraida Burgos’s latest poems in Issue 28 span the ecology of relationships and language. Translated by Peter Bush, these pieces are live on The Common. thecommononline.org/poetry-f…

"We thought our need was for the wild summer blackberries. But we were foraging for another memory to sustain us through the evil days to come." Read @zackstrait's Issue 28 poem "Roadside Blackberries," a beautiful piece with an ominous undertone. thecommononline.org/roadside…

"How wonderful, how the earth offers such goodness to us without cost. And how awful." Read more from @zackstrait's Issue 28 poem "Roadside Blackberries." thecommononline.org/roadside…

"There are no paths on the asphalt. Only / a longing for wings." Dive into Maria Josep Escrivà's (@MjEscriva) luscious poetry in our Issue 28 selection of her work. thecommononline.org/maria-jo…

What do you do when you don't want to cook dinner but you still "Gotta Eat"? Discover the cookbook that gives you some answers—and two other bite-sized book recs—in the January "What We're Reading" column! thecommononline.org/what-wer… @AdrienneSu

"Danger, as in strangers, men or women; / as in twisters at night when you couldn’t / see them coming" Don't miss Angie Macri's forceful and resounding Issue 28 poem "Dominus." thecommononline.org/dominus/

"If you’ve never starved, the story will never seem plausible, even as fiction." Tina Vallès' timeless story "Forever Red," published in Issue 28's Catalan Portfolio, finds at the intersection of one family's poverty, grief, and memory an apple tree. thecommononline.org/forever-…

Enjoy Maria Josep Escrivà's (@MjEscriva) contemplations on temporality and nature in our Issue 28 sample of her poetry. thecommononline.org/maria-jo…

Don't know where to start with your 2025 reading goals? Check out "What We're Reading" in the January edition of the column for three bite-sized book recs from @AdrienneSu , Afton Montgomery, and Hema Padhu! thecommononline.org/what-wer…

Need help with accountability? Look no further! TC's Weekly Writes program is here to help you. The program costs just $25 for 10 weeks (that’s only $2.50 per week!). This fee includes one free submission to TC via Submittable after program completion. thecommononline.org/weekly-w…

Get a glimpse into THE OLD CURRENT, Brad Leithauser's first new poetry collection in over a decade, with this sample of three poems in our January poetry feature. thecommononline.org/tag/janu…

Weekly Writes Vol. 9 kicks off on January 27, just in time to help you stay accountable for your New Year’s resolutions and 2025 goals! Sign-ups close up this Sunday. thecommononline.org/weekly-w…

"From beyond the waves, looking back at the shore, civilization betrays itself." Explore the mysteries of a fiery mountainside in @ChristyTending 's lyrical new Dispatch from Japan. thecommononline.org/in-fall-…

Time is running out! Don't forget to sign up for TC's Weekly Writes program. Starting on Monday, you will have access to a ten-week program designed to help YOU stick to your writing goals. Learn more information here: thecommononline.org/weekly-w…

"In Germany, I’m part of a generation of writers who come from immigrant families and who, through their work, write about the many faces of Germany today." Don't miss the interview between Khuê Phạm and Jonas Rosenbrück! thecommononline.org/this-is-…

In Elizabeth Brogden's crisp and complex story "The Valkyrie," lives intertwine in Copenhagen after a mother meets a museum docent. thecommononline.org/the-valk…