Alex J. Barrio Writes

 My story "New Years Kiss" - https://roifaineantarchive.wixsite.com/rf-arc-hive/post/new-years-kiss-by-alex-j-barrio - was in Issue 34 of Roi Faineant and is now housed in the archive, which you can access via this link. This story was written in the days following New Years 2023. The characters of "Blue Dress" and "Freckles" are based on real people. Though exagerrated, I did become a nervous wreck around the real Blue Dress, who I met at an actual party this year. I'm proud of this story because I feel like it adequately captured my feelings in the exact moment that I felt them. The shock of seeing someone so attractive it turns you into a puddle is such a wonderful feeling!  For those wondering, I have not spoken to Blue Dress since New Year's Day and I don't know if she has read the story, but if she does I hope she likes it and knows that it is pure fiction. 

 My story "Phermones" can found here - https://unstamatic.com/2022/11/01/phermones-alex-j-barrio/ - and was submitted as part of Unstamatic's "Unconditional Acceptance" issue. Basically, they took anything you submitted and promised to publish it (within reason of course - no novels, hate-filled diatribes, etc.) The result is one of the funnest and most interesting lit mags available online. I am very proud to be a part of it.  This story was written during a writing workshop and the submission itself was cut in half before posting. One day I hope to publish the longer version, which features so many more smells. Hope you like it!

 I will have more to add later but for now, for the first time ever, a short story I wrote is in a real book.  Support new writers and small press publishers with this thrilling collection of 19 different stories all about the "Desire to Escape". https://www.lulu.com/shop/ ivelisse-rodriguez-and-duy-vo- and-emily-townsend-and- frederick-tran/four-palaces- publishing-fall-2022-fiction- anthology/paperback/product- 7pqkk4.html?q=four+palaces+ publishing&page=1&pageSize=4

 As is sometimes the case with these online literary magazines, Onwords.Io recently shut down. Instead of chasing down another publication and acceptance, I have decided to post the whole thing here while continuing to focus on new stories (coming soon!). For those who missed it when it was on Onwords, here is "Yes Shelter", the first story I ever published. "Yes Shelter" By Alex J. Barrio The Emergency Broadcast System text message says we have 22 minutes before the nuclear missile hits. “I’m not coming,” Courtney says when I call her. “What do you mean you’re not coming?” I walk outside my building to take one last look at the clear blue sky. “Not enough time. By the time I get my cat and pack up everything and walk over there it will be too late. I won’t make it.” “You need to try,” I insist, though now she’s got me questioning why. She sounds resigned to dying. Wish I could say the same. “I don’t want to stress about it. I think I’m just going to read ...

" Yes Shelter " is the first story I  wrote to be accepted for publication.  It was inspired by a break-up with a real-life Courtney. Much of the conversation is based on actual conversations we had around Russia's invasion of Ukraine and her dumping me later on. We only dated for a couple of months and it didn't work out, though I did really like her. She's great! I hope one day she sees this and knows that she inspired some art. Please click the story above and let me know what you think either at Onwords or in a comment below.

For years I've run a poetry Twitter called @1001Tanka, with the goal of writing 1001 Tanka poems and eventually collecting them into a book. I still have a long way to go. As Twitter collapses, I thought this was as good a time as any to begin migrating those poems over here. Traditional Japanese tanka poems consist of 31 syllables written in a single, unbroken line. In English translations, the tanka tends to take on a five-line form. Midway through a tanka poem, there's a change in perception. In a sonnet, it's called the volta. In a haiku, there's typically a "turn" between lines two and three. As with a sonnet, the change occurs as a transition from examining an image to examining a personal response. Many of my Tanka poems do not fit neatly into that definition. Rather, I like to use the restrictions imposed by the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format to explore my emotions in a snapshot, like a picture of my feelings. Many of these poems are written on the spot, wi...