Welcome to Issue 15

Welcome to the fifteenth issue of Empty Sink Publishing, in which we celebrate our second anniversary! Issue 1 was published on November 4, 2013. Since then, we’ve published work by over one hundred artists, writers, and poets, and this month, we’re doubling down. This issue features fourteen short stories and non-fiction pieces, works by nine different poets, eight visual artists, four book reviews, our new Comics Corner feature, and a partridge in a pear tree. But we’ve also got some great news to share.

Photography by Sarah Katharina Kayß.

This is the first issue our Fiction Editor, Suanne Schafer, has been responsible for that section. We’re proud of the great job she’s done selecting and editing the stories for this issue, and I know you’re going to enjoy them. There’s quite a mix here: from anthropomorphic kittens saving Christmas to murderous sea creatures—you know, the usual. But they are held together by one important thread: plain old good writing. Suanne can spot it!

In other news, in case you didn’t see the announcement, we’ve announced our Pushcart nominees for this year. We are so proud of the authors we nominated, and humbled that they chose us for their work. Congratulations to you all!

With Suanne on board, we’re defining our vision for the future of Empty Sink Publishing. We love the artists and authors we work with, the process of publishing their work, and the feedback we get from our readers. In order to explore the different opportunities available to us we’ve decided to move to a quarterly publication schedule. After this, our next issue will be in March 2016.

The Editor’s Choice for this month goes to Taylor Allen for her poem “Version 1.1.” This reimagining of the creation story captivated me the first time I read it and stuck with me for several days, which is exactly what I’m looking for in good writing. Still in high school, Ms. Allen has a bright future in writing ahead of her, and we are honored to publish her work!

We hope you will join us for our next adventure in 2016! In the meantime, please enjoy this mega-sized issue of Empty Sink Publishing.

Happy (and safe) holidays to you all,

—E. Branden Hart, Executive Editor, 12/12/2015

CONTENTS OF ISSUE 15:

FICTION

John Skarl — “Bleeding Wolfe”

Peter Clarke — “The Farewell Act is a Sideshow”

Joseph Randazzo — “Retail Suicide Death-Wish”

James Hanna — “Baby Boo Saves Christmas”

Bart Van Goethem — “Such a Wonderful Evening”

Dan Corfield — “Montmartre”

Jesse Lynn Rucilez — “Meal of a Lifetime”

Guinotte Wise — “Winchester Tattoo”