kerning | a space for words
kerning | a space for words
A biannual compendium of writing that includes poetry, fiction, short stories, flash fiction, personal essays and creative nonfiction from women and gender diverse people.
We are thrilled to present the debut issue of kerning, filled with poetry, short stories, and creative non-fiction focused on the theme “Taking a Leap.”
We invited writers to tell us about intersections that call us (and sometimes demand us) to choose one direction over another and what informs these decisions—comfort or curiosity? Fear or courage? Clarity or recklessness? Loyalty or rebellion?
Contributors explored a moment that brought them to the edge of opting in or out of a choice, the narratives that unfolded as a result of their decision, and what happened when they left their familiar landscapes in favor of the unknown.
What’s Inside:
Poetry
Zest | Moira Walsh
In Hiding | Denise Pendleton
Taking a Leap, in nine parts | Maria Porges
At the Intersection of Love and War | Kate Mapother
Self-Worth | Margaret Bednar
The Narrowing Runway of Winter | Michelle Latvala
At 70 | Janis Brams
waiting | Michelle GD
The Late Days | Lizzie Purkis
Corona Borealis | Andrea Dickens
Santa Maria della Pace | Mary Ladany
Aftermath, November 2016 | Nicole Cooley
Wedding Vows | Olivia Rae Okun-Dubitsky
Bright Cloth, Foxhole | Sally Jaskold
my anger is | Tanya Levy
set the world alight | Martine van Bijlert
Sleeping Bags in the Basement | Jean Fineberg
Magnetism | Gabriele Glang
Pyramids | Lana Hechtman Ayers
Moss After Frost | Tina Berger
This Invitation | Jacob Fricke
Triptych | Diane M. Laboda
The Only One Standing | Karin Spitfire
Vocation Daze | Margaret D. Stetz
Risk | Margaret Sáraco
Short Stories
Queen of the Road | Chris Masterman
Under a Spotlight Moon | Laura Bonazzoli
Dashing Writers | Nancy Gerber
Mama, that’s not my name | Sukayna Davanzo
Creative Non-fiction
Eleven Ways My Journals Are | Suzi Banks Baum
Road to Taos | Taylor Johnson
Dear Dr Koe | Susanna McKean Moore
Brand New Roller Skates | Elizabeth Garber
The Cookie Jar | Jennifer Lynn Craig
Essayettes
Falling | Linda Buckmaster
Symptoms of Belief—A Complete Sentence | Michelle Vanstrom
The Power of Reading: The Greatest Anti-capitalist Weapon | Rachel Sult
Canned Peaches in Reykjavik | Sarah Kartalia
The Life I Dreamed Of | Anne-Marie Nolin
Flash Fiction
Birdwatching in a Pandemic | Meg Max
Cover Art
follow the thread | Elizabeth Needham