carve story

Meet our new Associate Editor, Bridget Apfeld

Meet our new Associate Editor, Bridget Apfeld

“When a story surprises me with a vision that’s believable but unexpected, when a story combines urgency with authority of voice—to me, that’s honest fiction.”

Q&A with Nicholas Hogg

Q&A with Nicholas Hogg

We recently chatted with Hogg about Tokyo and the inspirations he took from his background in psychology and his time as a resident of Japan.

Q&A with Mark Brazaitis

Q&A with Mark Brazaitis

Mark Brazaitis talks to us about realism and magic in his latest collection Truth Poker.

“Missing Teeth” by Bryan VanDyke

“Missing Teeth” by Bryan VanDyke

“Missing Teeth” is an absorbing piece built around Bernie Patton, a character who is quietly unpalatable while remaining completely compelling.

"Eminence" by Caroline Casper

"Eminence" by Caroline Casper

It is not so much the story itself, but the way it is told that fascinated me.

"Customer of Size" by Mary Jones

"Customer of Size" by Mary Jones

Mary Jones’s “Customer of Size” is a story of the pervasive indignities and cruelties large Americans face in a culture that despises fatness.

Audio Versions of Select Carve Short Stories Now Available

Audio Versions of Select Carve Short Stories Now Available

In conjunction with our new Carve in the Classroom series, we’ve created audio readings of nine Carve stories.

"Cigarettes In Heaven" By Jon Pearson

"Cigarettes In Heaven" By Jon Pearson

While waiting at a traffic light, the failed marriage he has tried so desperately to forget returns in a torturous stream of consciousness.

"The Ways You Are Gone" by Kami Westhoff

"The Ways You Are Gone" by Kami Westhoff

Jack constantly imagines what could have happened to Madeleine: dead and buried, dismembered and frozen in pieces, alive but tortured by kidnappers, alive and well. 

"The Relative Weight of Angels" by Avril Breckenridge Barron

"The Relative Weight of Angels" by Avril Breckenridge Barron

I found Allie’s mother the most moving character because she does not attempt to hide her grief or channel it through “appropriate” grieving actions.

"Poetry" by Dionne Irving

"Poetry" by Dionne Irving

Poetic fiction told in four sections, one for each decade from the teens to forties.

"It Was So Long Ago" by Amber Krieger

"It Was So Long Ago" by Amber Krieger

Knowing you had killed a man, even by accident, how would you live with yourself?

"Mourning the Departed" by L. Annette Binder

"Mourning the Departed" by L. Annette Binder

He’s what you might call a “professional funeral attendee.”

"Credo" by Bridget Brewer

"Credo" by Bridget Brewer

The story has echoes of “The Crucible” in the way it grapples with the devastating consequences of juvenile deception and vengeance without reason.

"One Way to Cook an Eel" by Emily Bromfield

"One Way to Cook an Eel" by Emily Bromfield

Todd and his rescued eel make an odd couple.

A Look Back at Carve's Disaster-Themed Stories

A Look Back at Carve's Disaster-Themed Stories

In anticipation of the upcoming 2013 Esoteric Contest winners, here's 3 past Carve stories dealing with natural disasters.

"Some of Us Can Leave" by Sara Schaff

"Some of Us Can Leave" by Sara Schaff

What might be a typically happy and life-changing moment turns out to be anything but in this story of a surprise pregnancy.

"Cooling" by Julie Eill

"Cooling" by Julie Eill

Michael is a juvenile delinquent arrested for a “ritualistic murder” of a deer at a wildlife sanctuary (a gory scene that burns in your mind).

"The English Speakers" by Sarah Quigley

"The English Speakers" by Sarah Quigley

The main characters, simply referred to as “he” and “she” throughout, have developed their own intimate version of English.

"The Seagull" by Rhea DeRose-Weiss

"The Seagull" by Rhea DeRose-Weiss

Touches upon the impermanence and ever-shifting tides of love and reaching poignant heights, without veering off into the realm of magical realism.