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DESERT GHOSTS   A fluorescent light in the hallway flickered frantically before burning out. In the sudden darkness, I could still see the paint peeling off the walls. The worn wooden floors creaked with every step. “The corner unit just

THE SANE ONES He called himself Mars because he claimed to be from there. He loved the public library, his oasis amid San Francisco’s Civic Center grunge. Each morning, he waited patiently outside the entrance for the gates to open along with

JUST BRING YOUR OWN FOOD   The owner of the diner asks me when I can start working with the enthusiasm of a turtle who’d just taken a Vicodin. Plastic plates move through the air, quick as birds in flight. Conversations blur into one loud

The short story below is based on the actual Mattioli Brother’s Bakery that was established by my paternal grandfather and his brothers circa 1920. Although I never met my grandfather, I heard stories of him from my father. This story is

The following story is about my maternal grandparents who emigrated from Italy in their early teen years and met in Philadelphia while tailoring, the occupation they shared. Although this is about real people and based on some real events, such