The Normal School: A Literary Magazine

Folks, you do NOT want to miss this! The Normal School welcomes for a special evening. The event will be at the Conley Art Auditorium at Fresno State this Friday! Check out the following for all the event info:

https://calendar.fresnostate.edu/index.php?eID=1411

"You stand there silently, breathing candy breath into your mask until your face gets damp. Your best friends are cheerleaders, witches, fairies. But you’re just a structure of a person, an outline of a body, quiet and haunted."

New, special, spooky nonfiction piece, "What Does Your Halloween Costume Say About Your Gender?: Quiz Results" by JACKIE DOMENUS up on thenormalschool.com RIGHT NOW! 👻 Click here to read more: https://bit.ly/tns-2022-halloween

Be safe out there, and stay normal. ✌🏼

ALT TEXT: Image of lit jack-o-lantern, seen through a foggy window. Jack-o-lantern is being held up with two hands, surrounded by cobwebs. Person holding the jack-o-lantern is dressed as a ghost. White text below, with black background. Text reads: "A normal Halloween Special. What Does Your Halloween Costume Say About Your Gender?: Quiz Results by Jackie Domenus"

Listen, up, Normals! Our October newsletter is out NOW! This month features some incredible work, including a Normal interview featuring Manuel Muñoz, stirring poems by Jo Blair Cipriano, a powerful essay about time by Sarah Fawn Montgomery and much, much more fascinating and weird works!

Click here for the newsletter: https://bit.ly/tns-nl-oct2022
And here to sign up: https://bit.ly/tns-nl-fb

ALT TEXT: Square image with a beige background. There are four thin, black lines framing the sides of the image. There is an orange envelope in the upper left corner, and beside it is black text with an orange highlight which reads "October Newsletter." Below the text, there is an author photo of Manuel Muñoz. To the left of the author photo is an image of a clock. Diagonally, to the right, there is an image of three paint strokes with the colors pink, purple, and blue (the bisexual flag). Behind those images, there is a soft pink paint stroke. At the bottom of the image are bold, black letters with an orange highlight, which read "FEATURING."

"Tamogotchis are everywhere in middle school, cradled in our hands during math when we learn about angles and remainders, the goal to take what is whole and break it apart. The egg buzzes several times a day as a reminder that survival is not guaranteed."

New Creative Nonfiction piece, "Chronostasis" by Sarah Fawn Montgomery is up on themormalschool.com right now! Click here to read more: https://bit.ly/3xZyl9n



ALT TEXT: Image of an analog clock with its hands at 10:30 , on a blank white wall, with the title of the piece beneath the photo, in black letters: Chronostasis by Sarah Fawn Montgomery. Below the title there is black text that says, Now on thenormalschool.com

Welcome back, Normals! We invite you to check out our "Welcome Back" September newsletter at this link: https://bit.ly/tns-nl-sept22

We cover some interesting things: the return of our founding editor, a review of what we are committed to at The Normal School, when we will send out our October newsletter (sign up!), and the announcement/reminder about our next open reading period.

So check out our letter! And don't forget to sign up for our upcoming October newsletter right here: https://bit.ly/tns-get-nl

Stay Normal. ✌🏼



ALT TEXT: Image with orange leaves in the background. The Sharkbear is in the bottom left corner. The text at the very top of the image is white with a black background and says: "Check out our welcome back letter and sign up for the October Newsletter!" Cursive text in the center of the image says, "Welcome Back!" There is a star next to the text. The bottom right corner has white text which reads: thenormalschool.com

Get ready, Normals! October 1st, we open our submissions for fiction, creative nonfiction, and multimedia! Our submission period ends December 1st.

Check out our link tree (https://linktr.ee/TheNormalSchool) for our submission guidelines, and all our info.

Stay normal! ✌🏽

Hey, Normals! We're excited to share that our submissions are now open for poetry! Please note that we will open for submissions in Fiction and Nonfiction on Oct. 1, 2022. We eagerly await your submissions! Here is the link to submit: bit.ly/3KGAjk2

"The voice to which I’m only half-listening sounds familiar, but something’s off, also. I look up blankly from the records I’m riffling through and realize that I’m hearing Elton John, one of his well-known hits from the early seventies, but I haven’t heard this version before."

For our last feature this spring, check out "A Groovy Way to Grab a Musical Bag that Turns on the Sounds of Today" by Joe Bonomo!
thenormalschool.com/blog/2021/05/31/joe-bonomo

See you in the Fall!

A Groovy Way to Grab a Musical Bag that Turns On the Sounds of Today by Joe Bonomo — The Normal School The voice to which I’m only half-listening sounds familiar, but something’s off, also. I look up blankly from the records I’m riffling through and realize that I’m hearing Elton John, one of his well-known hits from the early seventies, but I haven’t heard this version before.

"Jags can be time-consuming. And then there is the problem of satisfying its animalistic nature. Especially since tonight is Friday night, and you are going out."

New short story, "Take a Ride in My Jag" by Catherine Cort! To read more, click on the link below: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/5/18/catherine-cort

Take a Ride in My Jag by Catherine Cort — The Normal School Jags can be time-consuming. And then there is the problem of satisfying its animalistic nature. Especially since tonight is Friday night, and you are going out.

Hey Normals! Our May newsletter is out today! Featured this month, A Normal Interview with SJ Sindu by Nicholas Howard. Also short story of the month, "Diana's Chin" by Taylor Arnette, and more.

Note that we'll be on pause for the summer, but don't worry we'll be back in full force this fall.

May Newsletter: bit.ly/TNS-22May
Sign up for the newsletter here: bit.ly/normal-signup

"my spine curved / into a question mark, my pen sketching symptoms / on an empty man's silhouette."

Two new poems by Sarah Hansen, "Places My Body Hurts" and "Winter Solstice, 2020" are out today!

Visit our website for more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/5/4/sarah-hansen

Two Poems by Sarah Hansen — The Normal School my spine curved/ into a question mark, my pen sketching symptoms/ on an empty man's silhouette.

"I didn’t know there would be anesthesia. I didn’t know there would be blood. I didn’t know my arm would bruise Rorschach. I didn’t know the army greens and deep blues would last so long."

Featured in our May Newsletter, "A Review of My Birth Control Methods" by Victoria Buitron!
For more, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/4/27/victoria-buitron

A Review of My Birth Control Methods by Victoria Buitron — The Normal School I didn’t know there would be anesthesia. I didn’t know there would be blood. I didn’t know my arm would bruise Rorschach. I didn’t know the army greens and deep blues would last so long.

"Did so many women come in with babies growing inside them that Jesus acknowledged that plural? Or was it just a nice Southern thing? Like the French “vous,” used in singular formal to show respect to elders?"

Check out short story, "A Come to Jesus Moment in the Gynecologist's Office" by Frederica Morgan Davis! Click on the link for more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/05/11/frederica-morgan-davis

A Come to Jesus Moment in the Gynecologist’s Office by Frederica Morgan Davis — The Normal School Did so many women come in with babies growing inside them that Jesus acknowledged that plural? Or was it just a nice Southern thing? Like the French “vous,” used in singular formal to show respect to elders?

"The women who raised me were plain. Devout. / Called wh**es if they rouged their cheeks / or wore sassy pumps or failed to smile"

Out this month, a new poem "And Now That I Am 51" by Lisa Allen. Click on the link for more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/5/11/lisa-allen

And Now That I Am 51 by Lisa Allen — The Normal School The women who raised me were plain./ Devout./ Called wh**es if they rouged their cheeks/

“On the other hand, I hated the port. It turned me into a cancer machine. It frightened me, too. I couldn’t look at it. So I asked Carol to make a portrait.”

Featured in our May Newsletter, new multimedia "When I Couldn’t Look at Myself in the Mirror, My Friend Looked for Me” by Shifra Sharlin and Carol Troen! For more, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/05/04/sharlin-troen

When I Couldn’t Look at Myself in the Mirror, My Friend Looked for Me by Shifra Sharlin and Carol Troen — The Normal School On the other hand, I hated the port. It turned me into a cancer machine. It frightened me, too. I couldn’t look at it. So I asked Carol to make a portrait.

"Our Breath./ They took what was theirs."

Check out new poem, "Scrolls" by Miles Liss! To read more, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/5/4/miles-liss

Scrolls by Miles Liss — The Normal School Our Breath./ They took what was theirs.

"The point is, I could die at any moment with two living parents who would choose some tacky, pink, heart-shaped granite headstone for my grave and write Beloved Daughter on it with the emblem of a cross or some other religious symbol above my name, and that is not happening."

New this month, short story "Friends Forever" by Mairéad Kiernan! Visit our website for more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/5/4/mairad-kiernan

Friends Forever by Mairéad Kiernan — The Normal School The point is, I could die at any moment with two living parents who would choose some tacky, pink, heart-shaped granite headstone for my grave and write Beloved Daughter on it with the emblem of a cross or some other religious symbol above my name, and that is not happening.

"We started spending less time at the park, arriving home while sunlight was still on offer and confusing our parents. We paid more attention to who showed up in the park and who didn’t. Absences now felt like defections, lessening our numbers and making us vulnerable in a way that tightened our stomachs when we thought about Hansen."

New this month, "What We Did to Hansen," a short story by David DeGusta. To read more from David, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/04/27/david-degusta

What We Did to Hansen by David DeGusta — The Normal School We started spending less time at the park, arriving home while sunlight was still on offer and confusing our parents. We paid more attention to who showed up in the park and who didn’t. Absences now felt like defections, lessening our numbers and making us vulnerable in a way that tightened our st...

"the raw energy of / threat"

New this month, two poems by Lisa Huffaker! To read more from Lisa, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/4/18/lisa-huffaker

Two Poems by Lisa Huffaker — The Normal School the raw energy of / threat

"I know my house is a woman because she has a migrating trap door. I’m in the hallway. Whoops! I’m in the kitchen. I’m in the basement. Whoops! I’m in the attic. I can see the door’s outline if I pay attention and it’s possible to tiptoe very carefully around its edges, but it is easy to get distracted in the house."

New short story out today! Read "De Domum" by Melanie Conroy-Goldman!
Click on the link to read more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/04/20/melanie-conroy-goldmman

De Domum by Melanie Conroy-Goldman — The Normal School I know my house is a woman because she has a migrating trap door. I’m in the hallway. Whoops! I’m in the kitchen. I’m in the basement. Whoops! I’m in the attic. I can see the door’s outline if I pay attention and it’s possible to tiptoe very carefully around its edges, but it is easy to ...

"Children are backlogs / in the isolation tent"

New this month, a poem "bliss kids" by Aureleo Sans! Check out this important work and more by clicking on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/4/19/aureleo-sans

bliss kids by Aureleo Sans — The Normal School Children are backlogs / in the isolation tent

"We both know how our mom feels about us bringing things home, things we find. Strange things, she calls them. Once, I showed her this quarter I’d picked up at school. I found it in the lunchroom. I said, Look! And, gasping hard, she slapped it from my hand."

This month, read short story "You Think Mom Would Like It?" by Steve Chang! Click on the link to read more from Chang: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/04/05/steve-chang

You Think Mom Would Like It? by Steve Chang — The Normal School We both know how our mom feels about us bringing things home, things we find. Strange things, she calls them. Once, I showed her this quarter I’d picked up at school. I found it in the lunchroom. I said, Look! And, gasping hard, she slapped it from my hand.

Hey Normals! Our April newsletter is out now, featuring A Normal Interview with K-Ming Chang by Yia Lee, short story "A Cement Mother" by Elizabeth Brus, a poem by Kelly R. Samuels, and so much more.
Click here for our newsletter: bit.ly/TNS-22April
Not signed up yet? Click on the link: bit.ly/normal-signup

Hi Normals! Our April Newsletter is on the horizon so sign up today for an exclusive look at our Normal Interviews, featured poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, and more!

Sign up here: bit.ly/normal-signup

“For months now, you have not been able to walk through the daily din into the madness, and your life has felt more textured, your days fuller, though you will not admit that you might be happier this way.”

Check out new multimedia piece "Elegy / Eulogy / Ode" by Lacey N. Dunham! Click on the link for more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/4/01/lacey-n-dunham

Elegy / Eulogy / Ode by Lacey N. Dunham — The Normal School For months now, you have not been able to walk through the daily din into the madness, and your life has felt more textured, your days fuller, though you will not admit that you might be happier this way.

"You are still learning the subways and have to ask someone which way is south once you exit the train at Lafayette; the dot on your phone is being difficult."

Out today, new short story, "Missing" by Rick Andrews! Click on the link for more: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/03/30/rick-andrews

Missing by Rick Andrews — The Normal School You are still learning the subways and have to ask someone which way is south once you exit the train at Lafayette; the dot on your phone is being difficult.

"How / industrious and cheerful we appear, opening / the water back up to the sky, gathering what / formed for this or the skate’s blade or to / conceal what grew sluggish and burrowed / into the bottom, into the mud until spring."

Check out two new poems by Kelly R. Samuels! For more, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/3/24/kelly-r-samuels

Two Poems by Kelly R. Samuels — The Normal School How industrious and cheerful we appear, opening/ the water back up to the sky,

"Because you remember your teachers, one with wild eyes who wore a cross over his tie, who made algebraic equations turn and spin in your head, who gave you a graduation gift of Genesis in Space and Time."

Here's a treat for your Friday, new essay "Reasons to Teach Another Year" by Adam Patric Miller! For more, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/03/30/adam-patric-miller

We'd be eternally grateful if you would complete our reader survey that closes on May 15! bit.ly/normal-rs22

Reasons to Teach Another Year by Adam Patric Miller — The Normal School Because you remember your teachers, one with wild eyes who wore a cross over his tie, who made algebraic equations turn and spin in your head, who gave you a graduation gift of Genesis in Space and Time…

"It’s love in a silent spell / tinkering in separate rooms / checking off the list bottom-first."

Out now, a new poem "Sometimes Love Looks Like" by Edie Meade! For more, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/3/24/edie-meade

Sometimes Love Looks Like by Edie Meade — The Normal School It's love in a silent spell/ tinkering in seperate rooms

"I have no discernable personality. Is that harsh? I don’t think so. My prescription makes me incapable of harsh, even to myself. I’ve been worn down smooth, plus a shave extra—less steadying than reversal."

New short story, "Loss Leader" by Stacey Resnikoff! To read more from Stacey, click on the link: thenormalschool.com/blog/2022/03/23/stacey-resnikoff

Loss Leader by Stacey Resnikoff — The Normal School I have no discernable personality. Is that harsh? I don’t think so. My prescription makes me incapable of harsh, even to myself. I’ve been worn down smooth, plus a shave extra—less steadying than reversal.