Something’s Missing Issue: A Note to the Reader

Hello _______,

Invisible art, missing people, killing your darlings, clip show coherence. From the mundane to the life-changing: something’s missing.

Something, whether fingers, parents, scent, love, or words—somehow, somewhere, they’re gone. Lost. Taken. Dead.

Missing.

A class at Temple University, Writers at Work, was on the hunt, with the guidance of Mike Ingram and the platform of Barrelhouse. We read nearly six hundred submissions, all on the theme of “Something’s Missing.” We discussed and debated, re-read, and debated some more. What was it, exactly, we were looking for? How do you find something when you can’t yet name it?

In the end, we were bowled over by the high quality of submissions, and whittling them down to the online issue you’re about to read was a difficult assignment! But we hope you enjoy what we’ve found.

Sincerely,

The students in Temple’s Writers at Work Class, Fall 2021: 

Raven Bacote, Aria DeSilva, Isabella Hornick, Tim Huynh, Justine Imburgio, Neriah Kahn, Gianna Kimmell, Daniela Laguna, Isabella Lopez, Bridget Lynch, Noah Mannix, Molly McGowan, Charlie Murray, Summer Newett, Luke Powell, Rachel Rita, Jessica Rogers, Isabella Wojnarowicz, V. Ziegenfus