academic

Jul 2016 16

The Semester of Our Discontent By Cynthia Kuhn: Review/Giveaway

2016 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow

Although Colorado’s Stonedale University loftily considers itself to be an exclusive provider of a liberal arts higher education, it’s also a fall-back for those who came close but never quite made it into Ivy League institutions. This is where thirty year-old Lila Maclean finds herself as a newly hired professor of American Literature. Until she reaches tenure in six years, Lila will be forced to teach classes, advise students, head committees, and still manage to publish in distinguished journals or presses. All while also keeping her head down and not offending the department chairs and other senior professors.

A Theory of Murder, An Original Mystery Short Story

2011 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Terrific Tales

by Dennis Palumbo

My friend Albert Einstein unwrapped his sausage roll, then looked up at me with those frank, dark eyes. “Tell me, Hector, what is the secret to living in harmony with a woman?”
I shrugged in my thick overcoat. It was cold out here in the dawn mist, beneath the wintry mantle of holiday snow. We sat, as we did every morning before work, on a bench overlooking the Aare River.
“I know less about women than you do,” I answered, sipping my tea. “At least you’ve managed to marry one.”