The Common

The Common

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The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, poetry, and art with a modern sense of place. Based at Amherst College, we highlight writers and work from around the world.

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The Common
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... Some sources favor / child of anger or man of constant sorrow. Others like to underscore // the double-edged semantics: to hate and to be hated or the one / who suffers and brings suffering ... David Lehman and David Barber follow Homer and Neruda in our 10/26 Poetry Feature: buff.ly/aOKsafj

buff.lyOctober 2026 Poetry Feature: David Barber and David LehmanDAVID BARBER <br> Sometimes a little bird tells someone it’s raining sprats on the isthmus. / Not just fish – sometimes showers of frogs, the odd lizard or elver.
The Common
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"She’d make them coffee with sweet cream, / hers with vodka, silver spoons clinking / sugar into acid, while they waited / for their parents to sleep off" Amiya Moretta's Disquiet prize-winning poem, "If It Wasn't for Heroin," examines a family's history of drug use. Find it in Issue 32 or online!

buff.lyIf It Wasn’t for HeroinAMIYA MORETTA <br> My Umatilla grandfather / who had one leg, lived down the road, / hobbled to her heroin loyally. / That’s how / my mom and dad, neighbors whose parents / were good friends and…
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"What we have to learn, after all, spills far beyond the bounds of a well-rounded slate of course requirements." In her review of David McGlynn's book Liberal Arts, Nicole Schrag considers a vibrant cast of characters on a college campus. Read it at the link below! buff.ly/n53ccih

buff.lyReview: Liberal Arts by David McGlynnNICOLE SCHRAG <br> While the novel brims with jokes that hinge on the absurdity of academic institutions and the people who belong to them, Liberal Arts isn’t a satire. Instead, the humor originates…
The Common
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oasis of curls below / the belly, torso like a violin / or cello, la chute de reins // the shape of a pear, I would write / that poem, and prepare / the bed where we shall lose the night. David Lehman and David Barber follow Homer and Neruda in our 10/26 Poetry Feature: buff.ly/aOKsafj

buff.lyOctober 2026 Poetry Feature: David Barber and David LehmanDAVID BARBER <br> Sometimes a little bird tells someone it’s raining sprats on the isthmus. / Not just fish – sometimes showers of frogs, the odd lizard or elver.
The Common
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"The move into the second section feels like the kiss of first sunlight, its timing just right." In her review of Brais Lamela's What Remains, Zara Karschay muses on the gaps in history and literature's ability to revive the past. Read it at the link below! buff.ly/WRtawv2

buff.lyReview: What Remains by Brais LamelaZARA KARSCHAY <br> in his debut novel, What Remains, Brais Lamela redresses the passive constructions that litter institutional discourse and submerge human stories in cold bureaucracy. Translated…
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"I can at least delude myself into believing that I understand the inner lives of the people closest to me" Laura Creste speaks with Victoria Kornick about her debut collection, In the Good Years, and the human and nonhuman that inspired it. Read it below! buff.ly/YTmTbu4

buff.lyGentle or Not: Victoria Kornick Interviews Laura CrestéLAURA CRESTE <br> In a winter’s worth of walks along Herring Cove, I found the wreckage of a small boat, a loveseat, and, more than once, storm-battered lobster traps. And then there’s the more…
The Common
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"People who otherwise have no earthly reason to find themselves in the same room are brought together" Nicole Schrag reviews David McGlynn's Liberal Arts, which locates the humorous and the human in a college campus. Check it out below! buff.ly/9GB9SOM

buff.lyReview: Liberal Arts by David McGlynnNICOLE SCHRAG <br> While the novel brims with jokes that hinge on the absurdity of academic institutions and the people who belong to them, Liberal Arts isn’t a satire. Instead, the humor originates…
The Common
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An essay from Kristen Millares Young on chasing the Roman cult mother goddess, Cybele, from Galicia to the archives of the Louvre. It aligns with Millares Young's forthcoming memoir, Desire Lines, out this week.  Read it below: buff.ly/2HMHof9

buff.lySeeking a Mother in the RuinsKRISTEN MILLARES YOUNG <br> What to do with a wound whose every available myth turned out to be serving someone else? I had to stop waiting for the woman in front of me to become what I needed her…
The Common
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"Brais Lamela redresses the passive constructions that litter institutional discourse" In her review of What Remains by Brais Lamela, Zara Karschay explores the historical resonances of the Franco Regime through Lamela's assemblage of voices. Read it below! buff.ly/ypXkBUZ

buff.lyReview: What Remains by Brais LamelaZARA KARSCHAY <br> in his debut novel, What Remains, Brais Lamela redresses the passive constructions that litter institutional discourse and submerge human stories in cold bureaucracy. Translated…
The Common
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"The novel’s greatness comes from the strength with which Qian renders the forces that motivate, destroy, enrapture, and embarrass his characters." Don't miss Ben Tamburri's new review of the 20th-century romance, campus novel, and all-around classic, Fortress Besieged. Read it below!

buff.lyReview: Fortress Besieged by Qian ZhongshuBEN TAMBURRI <br> Qian Zhongshu’s Fortress Besieged takes its namesake and epigraph from a French proverb: “Marriage is like a fortress besieged: those who are outside want to get in, and those who…
The Common
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"I can’t help being fascinated by the creatures we live alongside, especially in the liminal spaces between the wild and the domestic" Victoria Kornick interviews Laura Creste over the making of her debut collection, In the Good Years. Read it below! buff.ly/YTmTbu4

buff.lyGentle or Not: Victoria Kornick Interviews Laura CrestéLAURA CRESTE <br> In a winter’s worth of walks along Herring Cove, I found the wreckage of a small boat, a loveseat, and, more than once, storm-battered lobster traps. And then there’s the more…
The Common
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Liz DeWolf discusses language and belonging in her story “Ex Situ” (set in Istanbul), from Issue 31. Full podcast link in bio, or search ‘The Common magazine’ wherever you get podcasts.

The Common
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"I lie on the bed and think about nothing, the sound of the gunshots reverberating in my head. After an hour or so, I’ll find myself standing again by the bookshelves, pulling out one of the Twenty-Four Histories." "The Messengers," by Zhu Yue, trans. Alyssa Asquith & Jianan Qian: buff.ly/MCSq3au

buff.lyThe MessengersZHU YUE <br> Half an hour later, I am sitting before her. Like always, she is pale as a sheet and expressionless. Her appearance is as strange as ever, eyes veiled by curtains of hair. She must be…
The Common
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An essay from Kristen Millares Young on chasing the Roman cult mother goddess, Cybele, from Galicia to the archives of the Louvre. It aligns with Millares Young's forthcoming memoir, Desire Lines, out this week.  Read it below: buff.ly/2HMHof9

buff.lySeeking a Mother in the RuinsKRISTEN MILLARES YOUNG <br> What to do with a wound whose every available myth turned out to be serving someone else? I had to stop waiting for the woman in front of me to become what I needed her…
The Common
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Masters of Sleep and Other Stories by Surrealist author Zhu Yue, translated by Jianan Qian and Alyssa Asquith, was published by Accent Edition this past summer! The anthology features some of Zhu’s most cerebral and critically-acclaimed stories. Preorder the book here: buff.ly/LBvQucQ

buff.lyMasters of Sleep and Other StoriesAbout Masters of Sleep is an anthology featuring some of Zhu’s most cerebral and critically acclaimed stories, selected and translated from three of his Chinese story collections: The Bleary-Eyed…
The Common
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"Falling is an art that constantly recurs, redirects, and finds in the force of moving some give in gravity itself." Literary Editorial Fellow Aidan Cooper reviews Making the Turn, a kinetic and eclectic poetry collection by Wyatt Townley. Read it at the link below! buff.ly/8k8tDvw

buff.lyDancing on the Ceiling: Meaning Movement in Wyatt Townley’s Making the TurnAIDAN COOPER <br> Perhaps “Wedding Vows” epitomizes Making the Turn: a falling that becomes, or rather makes itself known as, falling together. It considers surrendering control and finding oneself…
The Common
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We are thrilled to announce that “The Hare,” written by Ismael Ramos and translated by Jacob Rogers, and “Inês” by João Pedro Vala have been selected for the O. Henry Prize for 2026 Short Fiction! Both works were originally published in The Common Online in 2025. Learn more: buff.ly/VfRaz9r

The Common
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“Marriage is like a fortress besieged: those who are outside want to get in, and those who are inside want to get out" In honor of the re-release of Fortress Besieged, our David Applefield '78 Fellow Ben Tamburri reviews this classic 20th-century novel. Check it out below!

buff.lyReview: Fortress Besieged by Qian ZhongshuBEN TAMBURRI <br> Qian Zhongshu’s Fortress Besieged takes its namesake and epigraph from a French proverb: “Marriage is like a fortress besieged: those who are outside want to get in, and those who…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"It’s not so much that I want to be loved. / It’s just that I want to be allowed / to love someone." New work from Brionne Janae, Gray Davidson Carroll, and Wilbert Turner III rings with the traces of encounter and country. Read more below in our September Poetry Feature! buff.ly/iOZAGdp

buff.lySeptember 2026 Poetry FeatureBRIONNE JANAE <br> and on returning what state did you find it in? / as in what state were you in? / were you where you left yourself? / and who was left? / was anyone left?
The Common
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"And it hurts: most days since my face fell down, I’ve felt a Funeral, in my Brain." Through the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Therese Gleason reckons with a diagnosis and the uncertain path of healing. Read our latest dispatch at the link below! buff.ly/aNd3oxq

buff.lySix Months After My Bell’s Palsy Diagnosis, I Consider the Meaning of ‘Fallow’ in Emily Dickinson’s GardenTHERESE GLEASON <br> Half of Emily’s autumnal garden is sunlit at midmorning, but the little apple and pear trees in the orchard down the hill are shrouded in shadow, and I think of my face as…
The Common
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"Your letter and your story I have clung to as to an overturned canoe." What Clever Friends: The Selected Letters Between Jane Kenyon and Alice Mattison is a testament to the artistic and academic energy buoyed by these two poets. Read an excerpt from this new book below! buff.ly/q1PPqfd

buff.lyExcerpt from What Clever Friends: The Selected Letters Between Jane Kenyon and Alice MattisonALICE MATTISON <br> It may be that you are writing well and, being in depression, can’t tell. It may be that people in depression cannot write well, just as people with sore throats cannot go to the…
The Common
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"As I read, a distinct feeling arises in me that meaning’s gotten lost in the maze of time" Aidan Cooper reviews Wyatt Townley's frenetic new poetry collection, Making the Turn. Check it out at the link below! buff.ly/8k8tDvw

buff.lyDancing on the Ceiling: Meaning Movement in Wyatt Townley’s Making the TurnAIDAN COOPER <br> Perhaps “Wedding Vows” epitomizes Making the Turn: a falling that becomes, or rather makes itself known as, falling together. It considers surrendering control and finding oneself…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"a compelling and earnest contemplation of immigration and race, one that embodies Mysore’s signature duality as it swings from explicit and more familiar commentary to something funnier and more singular." Michelle Donahue reviews "Let All Our Ghosts Depart" by Meghana Mysore: buff.ly/4v8LVHk

buff.lyPlaces Between: The Many Hauntings in Let All Our Ghosts Depart by Meghana MysoreThe writing here is lyric and effortless, an evocative rendering of both place and character. It is in moments like this that Mysore so excels as a writer and makes this collection a necessary read…
The Common
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Our fall submissions are open! To address any questions and make the process more accessible, we've compiled a short "Did You Know?" info page. Want to learn more about reading times or acceptance rates? Read more at the link below! buff.ly/5iUEhO4

buff.lySubmission Opportunities at The Common!Here at The Common, we understand that supporting a diverse exchange of ideas goes hand in hand with making the publishing world more accessible. As such, we’ve compiled a list of information and…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"When I write a book that receives nothing but rave reviews, I get a little suspicious— does this mean I’ve lost my edge? Part of me will always believe I’m not doing my job to the fullest unless I’m alienating some readers." Read the full interview with Daniel Kraus below! buff.ly/yzLgMXr

buff.lyThe Post-Pulitzer Rush: Becky Siegel Spratford interviews Daniel KrausDANIEL KRAUS <br> When sales flagged, I'd simply have to write myself out of author jail. I'd have to write something so good that the publishers would be like, “yeah, we can't *not* give this guy a…
The Common
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"I couldn’t smile, blink, or cry—the nerve damage prevented tears from forming, made my cornea brittle and dry." In the wake of a life-altering diagnosis, Therese Gleason contemplates her journey in the words and backyard of a poet. Read our latest dispatch below! buff.ly/ISYOff6

thecommononline.orgSix Months After My Bell’s Palsy Diagnosis, I Consider the Meaning of ‘Fallow’ in Emily Dickinson’s GardenTHERESE GLEASON <br> Half of Emily’s autumnal garden is sunlit at midmorning, but the little apple and pear trees in the orchard down the hill are shrouded in shadow, and I think of my face as…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"an incisive commentary on how communities construct collective realities as a defense mechanism against trauma and marginalization." Britta Stromeyer reviews "St. Ulphia's Dead," an absurdist psychological thriller by debut novelist Scott Lambridis. Don't miss it! buff.ly/FRRigkS

buff.lyReview: St. Ulphia’s Dead by By Scott LambridisBRITTA STROMEYER <br> Lambridis offers an incisive commentary on how communities construct collective realities as a defense mechanism against trauma and marginalization, suggesting that our…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"You never write trivial poems and I’m sure 'Yard Sale' is not just about old furniture but about significant human stuff, as are all your poems." Jane Kenyon and Alice Mattison come alive in their correspondence, and now you can read an excerpt of What Clever Friends below. buff.ly/q1PPqfd

thecommononline.orgExcerpt from What Clever Friends: The Selected Letters Between Jane Kenyon and Alice MattisonALICE MATTISON <br> It may be that you are writing well and, being in depression, can’t tell. It may be that people in depression cannot write well, just as people with sore throats cannot go to the…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"Three generations of women transform into rainbow squirrels in response to trauma ... A dead mother returns to her daughter in the form of a car at a repair shop." Michelle Donahue reviews "Let All Our Ghosts Depart" by Meghana Mysore: buff.ly/4v8LVHk

buff.lyPlaces Between: The Many Hauntings in Let All Our Ghosts Depart by Meghana MysoreThe writing here is lyric and effortless, an evocative rendering of both place and character. It is in moments like this that Mysore so excels as a writer and makes this collection a necessary read…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"When sales flagged, I’d simply have to write myself out of author jail. I’d have to write something so good that the publishers would be like, “yeah, we can’t *not* give this guy a chance in this new genre.” Read the full interview with Daniel Kraus below! buff.ly/yzLgMXr

buff.lyThe Post-Pulitzer Rush: Becky Siegel Spratford interviews Daniel KrausDANIEL KRAUS <br> When sales flagged, I'd simply have to write myself out of author jail. I'd have to write something so good that the publishers would be like, “yeah, we can't *not* give this guy a…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

With our fall submission period opening, we can't wait to read your work! However, we understand you may have questions about the process, from reading times to acceptance rates. We've compiled a short "Did You Know?" info page addressing frequent questions. Check it out below! buff.ly/asdGTXm

buff.lySubmission Opportunities at The Common!Here at The Common, we understand that supporting a diverse exchange of ideas goes hand in hand with making the publishing world more accessible. As such, we’ve compiled a list of information and…
The Common
@commonmag.bsky.social

"Even if I could find a ride, there would be the question of what I was doing at a motel an hour from Curtisville, with Gary’s Grand Am parked conspicuously outside." Like what you read? You can find this excerpt from "Good Guys" by Mindy Misener (@mindymise) on our website below! buff.ly/dAutIm1

thecommononline.orgHolding On is ForeverEven if I could find a ride, there would be the question of what I was doing at a motel an hour from Curtisville, with Gary’s Grand Am parked conspicuously outside.
The Common
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"a sharp satire of the human impulse to categorize, diagnose, and master the world’s enigmas—from mental illness and trauma to mortality itself." Britta Stromeyer reviews "St. Ulphia's Dead," a debut novel by Scott Lambridis. Don't miss it! buff.ly/FRRigkS

thecommononline.orgReview: St. Ulphia’s Dead by By Scott LambridisBRITTA STROMEYER <br> Lambridis offers an incisive commentary on how communities construct collective realities as a defense mechanism against trauma and marginalization, suggesting that our…
The Common
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"Buoying the sadness that pervades the novella is Haushofer’s prose and Whiteside’s sharp translation." Brianna Beehler reviews Marlen Haushofer’s pastoral novel The Fifth Year, translated by Shaun Whiteside. Check it out at the link below! buff.ly/5M1kao6

buff.lyReview: The Fifth Year by Marlen HaushoferReview by BRIANNA BEEHLER <br> When I was a child, I was afraid to go upstairs by myself at my grandparents’ house. At the top of the stairs was a print of Pablo Picasso’s 1937 painting, Weeping…
The Common
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"I can only recall – or am I making it all up now, in the act of remembering? – the tone of his unhurried, almost raspy voice, his sour breath." So begins the interaction with the invisible in "Chupacabra" by Rodrigo Urquiola Flores. Read more of Shaina Brassard's translation now! buff.ly/vmj0wnI

buff.lyChupacabraRODRIGO URQUIOLA FLORES <br> I thought about the possibility of taking refuge, of living within a glorious repeating cycle. Pain and punishment were inevitable – just look at what became of the ants…
The Common
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"I felt both alone and watched. I was definitely starting to feel sick. If the world were good and fair, someone would come for me now." Mindy Misener (@mindymise) shares an excerpt from her upcoming book, "Good Guys"! Check it out below: buff.ly/pvIj2BE

thecommononline.orgHolding On is ForeverThree times in my life I’ve called my sister for help. The first, I was at a motel almost an hour from Curtisville. Any closer, Gary said, and he might be recognized. Minutes earlier he’d left with his fake ID.