Once again a work week draws to a close. Once again we are filled with weekend fever. And once again we look back on the fiction, poetry and literature news that burned in our brains for the past five days. It was a good week and it was a bad week. We published some terrific content. But we also — and here we’re speaking for the world at large — lost two irreplaceable figures. This weekend, when you’re at the height of your revelry, picture Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger sharing a laugh, kicking up their heels, and patting one another on the back. Hey, even if it isn’t true, it still paints a nice picture. Happy living, all you wicked scriveners. — Kevin Murphy

Take Us There

Wanderlust, within us it swells. To be sure, we’re happy where we live. But the allure and the promise of untold adventures, untold lands and untold cultures occasionally drives us into a frenzy. We need to visit Vietnam, tomorrow! Hey, let’s book a trip to Lisbon, like now! Why not travel to Budapest, Hong Kong, and Boise? Why? Because of all the boring and practical reasons, that’s why. But instead of struggling to toss off reality’s depressing blanket, we get comfortable, settle in with a book/laptop, and read. That’s right, people: Stories, poems, essays! They take us away — imagination, take flight. Here’s our frequent flier miles for this week. — Kevin Murphy

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Gotta Light?

Whew, this week came and went faster than our last one night stand. Just kidding. We didn’t have any one night stands. But we did indulge in some satisfying activities, namely Fiction, Poetry, and a host of other acts whose names we can’t remember. To jog our memory, and to recap the salacious week that was, here’s DSM’s roundup of stories, verse, and literature news. Admittedly, our production level was a little thin this week. Then again, it’s tough publishing lots of content when you’re up all hours of the night doing the dirty (i.e. Reading). — Kevin Murphy

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Home To Storytellers

Our good friend Boo Gilder gave us Colm Tóibín’s novel Brooklyn for Christmas. We’re especially excited about this. Tóibín is one of our favorite Irish writers. We devoured The Master and the short story collection Mothers and Sons and now we’re cracking our knuckles with eagerness for this, his latest tale. And it’s perfect timing, too. Tóibín was awarded the Costa Book Award this week, which for him must come as welcomed news, not only for the honor and the prize money, but also for the relief — Tóibín has been a finalist for a handful of major book awards in recent years, only to come up short. At any rate, this is but one of the many literature news stories that made the rounds this week. Let’s take a look at the others — the stories, poems, interviews and more that filled DSM’s pages over the past five days. Happy reading, everyone. — Kevin Murphy

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On Tuesday we had the year’s first taste of snow. Literally. We turned our head up to the sky and let the flakes tumble down our throat. Delicious! To commemorate this momentous winter event we’d like to share with you the stories, poems and literature news that keep us hungry for more. Enjoy, and happy weekend everyone.

Fiction:

Asinine by D.E. Fredd

Poetry:

They Howl, Ignore Them
The Second Time I Wore A Rubber Dress Was in a Dream
Cornered — by Medeia Starfire

Noted Abroad:

Because I Said So, by Charlie Geer

Recommended Reading:

Five New Stories from Online Magazines

Literature News:

Monday’s Body of Work
Tuesday’s Literary Briefing
Wednesday’s Writerly Happenings
Thursday’s Flurry of Words

Weekend Video: Traffic by Teodor Stoyanov