For this special occasion of our twentieth anniversary, we are pleased to pull the band back together, giving editors past and present the chance to highlight some of our absolute favorite submissions over the last twenty years.
We only publish writing we love, and we are so grateful to all of our writers for their contributions. In fact, one of our editors (Sherri Miller) abstained from this exercise, writing, “I have read and re-read many submissions that we have published in an attempt to choose a few favorites from the best written fiction, nonfiction, and poetry genres, all to no avail. With 20 years of creative writing to choose from, I realize that I have dozens of favorites, a number that will surely grow over the years to come.“
Nevertheless, where we could, we have chosen to highlight a few issues or specific pieces of writing that were especially memorable to us, even years on. In chronological order:
Peripheral Vision, by Carmelinda Blagg
from TWISTS OF FATE, March 2009 (fiction)
selected by Alison Stedman, fiction editor
“Mark got quiet and I could feel the silence grow. I could feel the feathery, ghostly weight of this girl disappearing and reappearing before slipping away forever.”
–
Gone Fishing, by Joan Pedzich
from LOST & FOUND, September 2009 (fiction)
selected by Alison Stedman, fiction editor
“Two days after we took him from the pond, and not an hour out from the funeral, Jayce started draining it. I couldn’t figure why the boot needed finding. So much else was lost, and I said so. Jayce turned from me with a fierce look, his mouth set not to speak. All I could do was watch.”
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The Storm on Promise Land Road, by Ken Teutsch
from HAUNTED, March 2011 (fiction)
selected by Alison Stedman, fiction editor
“The voice of the narrator is so strong, and the story so deliciously creepy, that it still sticks in my brain 14 years later.”
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The Red Dress, by M.B. Wallace
from WE ALL FALL DOWN, September 2011 (fiction)
selected by Carrie Bachler, fiction editor
“I love how a story is very clearly told without the author ever explicitly explaining the point of view or what the story is truly about. I love that there is finality, an ending of life, but that there is joy instead of sadness. And I love the imagery, the connection of human life to nature. I’ve always just felt that this story is so expertly done.”
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Old Kleenex, by Kayla Min Andrews
from INHERITANCE, December 2020 (nonfiction)
selected by Milena Nigam, former nonfiction editor
“I love how much is conveyed about the author and her mother in such a short piece. Very moving.”
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Anxiety, by Therese Gleason
from INHERITANCE, December 2020 (poetry)
selected by Jeannie E. Roberts, poetry editor
“The action and imagery of each line generates its own suspense and anxiety as it moves to its powerful conclusion.”
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Migraineur, by Therese Gleason
from INHERITANCE, December 2020 (poetry)
selected by Jeannie E. Roberts, poetry editor
“I’ve selected another poem by Therese Gleason, one that offers wonderful imagery and intensity. It resonates in a relatable way, not only in terms of chronic pain, but the vestiges of trauma that reverberate . . .”
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Stories from Gung Gung, by Liana Tsang Cohen
from INHERITANCE, December 2020 (nonfiction)
selected by Milena Nigam, former nonfiction editor
“Beautifully written, moving but not overly sentimental.”
“But the difference in those dinners, just before quarantine, was that Gung Gung seemed to be feeling keenly the preciousness of life, which manifested in a special urgency to verbalize his past.”
–
Snail, by Sara McAulay
from FRONTIERS, March 2022 (poetry)
selected by Jeannie E. Roberts, poetry editor
“The author uses the snail as a metaphor for safety; the poem’s imagery conveys the fragility of both the snail and the human experience.”
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Well, it has not been easy, by Merie Kirby
from FRONTIERS, March 2022 (poetry)
selected by Victoria Punch, former poetry editor
“This one lingered with me and made me want to learn more about Marie Curie.”
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Fiction editor Alison Stedman remembers loving so many of the pieces of work in PORTRAIT (June 2023, and our 61st issue).
“There was something about this theme that brought out the fine-grained, human beauty in so many submissions.”
–
Offering, by Nathan Erwin
from STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, March 2023 (poetry)
selected by Phillip Watts Brown
“This poem has lingered for me like a bright afterimage behind closed eyelids. I appreciate the ritual of this poem with its dreamy blend of mythology and specific details. I’m so captivated by one of the final images: ”A parade
of husbands and wives walk down thin
alleyways and out into the moon’s foam.”
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Poetry editor Jeannie E. Roberts remembers our 64th issue, BODY & SOUL (September 2023), as one of her favorites.
If we remember correctly, it was also one of our busiest submission periods to that point, with 357 submissions over two months.
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… while our fiction editor, Carrie Bachler, considers
BEFORE & AFTER (June 2024) to be an especially beautiful issue: “I love every single story so much!”
We’ve highlighted three pieces from that issue that were particularly well loved by our team:
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The Simplest Way, by Lynn Kristine Thorsen
from BEFORE & AFTER, June 2024 (fiction)
selected by Carrie Bachler, fiction editor
“This is such a beautiful painting of grief. I also like the way that it is told through the lens of the hobby of fishing that is so specific and niche to the character. I somehow relate, even though I know nothing about fishing.”
–
The art of slinging hash, by GM Foy
from BEFORE & AFTER, June 2024 (fiction)
selected by Carrie Bachler, fiction editor
“I’ve always loved the way that this story is told. A quick snapshot of an imagined life, stream of consciousness, vivid imagery to set a scene, getting to know a person’s feelings so well with so few words.”
–
Honey Dog, by Lori Zavada
from BEFORE & AFTER, June 2024 (poetry)
selected by Jeannie E. Roberts, poetry editor
“Anyone who has cherished a dog will benefit from reading this poem. With breathtaking imagery, it evokes joy, sweetness, and unconditional love.”
“I want to run behind him,
holding that tattered red leash,
both of us panting uncontrollably.”
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In the Deepest of Night, by Judy Bolton-Fasman
from MIDNIGHT, March 2025 (nonfiction)
selected by Ellen Herbert, nonfiction editor
“In this creative nonfiction, a middle-aged daughter speaks to her dead father about sleepwalking. Dream-like and lyrical, this narrative speaks of love that endures.”
“We are closest in the deepest of night, when you are the somnambulist. I never want to wake you up.“
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Thinking of the Experience I Saw at a Writing Workshop, by Matthew Johnson
from OIL & WATER, June 2025 (poetry)
selected by Victoria Punch, former poetry editor
“I love how clipped this is and how much work the last line does.”
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On Hunger, by Carol Moody
from OIL & WATER, June 2025 (nonfiction)
selected by Ellen Herbert, nonfiction editor
“This personal narrative has resonated with me since I first read it. A mother who suffers from mental illness, and siblings who feed each other so they don’t go hungry. Pain is turned into art in this beautifully rendered narrative.”
“As the sun dips, indigo dark scatters the day. Neighborhood moms call their children’s names through the woods. I won’t hear mine.“
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Thank you for reading our favorites. Let us know if you have favorites of your own, over the past twenty years! You can get in touch with us at halfway . stairs @ gmail . com.
© 2025, Halfway Down the Stairs
Halfway Down the Stairs 