I stopped by your old house today. That little apartment by Najat St. looks the same as the last time you were there. The walls are strewn with Christmas lights and I could make out a tree's shadow through the window. There’s still a retail store in front of it. The porch is occupied by a man scribbling eloquent letters into the December air with smoke. I wonder who lives there now. Even more, I wonder if there's a teenager there who has a best friend she met from Tutoring Se

The trees out the back window aren’t As green as they were Last summer Less lush, more spindly Branches--some broken-- That lean and twist Touching but somehow not quite Together In any meaningful way *** The cardinal Rests Where the smaller branches fan Out and up Male cardinals, like many birds Are all about the flare For the dramatic-- All red and crests and attention On display He seems to look Imperiously At something in the distance And I, distanced By glass, by attitu

“Your greatest desire,” the wizard offered, straightening his shoulders and his hat. “You have beaten me, so now I will give to you your greatest desire.” The girl smiled, tucking the twig into her back pocket. “S’okay,” she said. “It was just fun.” The wizard’s eye twitched. “Fun? You call duelling a wizard and risking your life, fun?” The girl shrugged. “Well, as much as I’d like to not bother, lore dictates that I give you

To Do List (C/W alludes to sexual assault) • Wash bedding • Re-paint door • Scrape food off walls • Buy stain remover • Call handyman • Collect up pieces of woman • Research deadbolts • Buy better coffee • Practise with concealer • Scrub sink • Vacuum stairs • Breathe deep • Clear inbox • Inform vet • Repeat affirmations • Re-stock fridge • Take morning after pill • Check you’re okay Call Me When your kids have done PE in still-wet kit (weather is free, dryer coins are not).

‘The quiet power of these stories lies in their intimacy and tenderness.’ – Naomi Booth, author of Exit Management ‘An ardent observer of the understated, Reese’s expansive stories amplify life’s quiet moments in crisp, clear prose. A bright, new collection that glimmers and shines.’ – Ryan Ridge, author of New Bad News ‘A book of richly detailed place, with characters that are afraid, and searching, and determined, and flawed, and utterly, finally, human, Reese has given us

After Joan Miró's ‘The Birth of the World' (1925) exhibited at MoMA, NY Creation as chance. Black and White paint dripping on Canvas to a blurry Grey transfigures. Creation as plan. A carefully choreographed company of geometric shapes on top of Grey. A Black bird. A Red balloon. A White human head, wrapped in Black. Stubbornly holding onto the balloon’s (visible) thread. That. Yellow. Thread. A Beacon of Hope. Ione Manks compiles footnotes. When writing fiction, she searches