My favorite thing, by far, is the opposite sex. But my next favorite is asking ridiculous questions, like ‘Why is the letter S always malingering?’ Or, ‘What is the smell of potatoes’ hatred?’ Optimism. What? Optimism. The answer to your questions. (He leans in and cups his ear.) Come again? Opti, opti opti. Mi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-zum! (He… Read More The Hopscotch King ~ fiction by Jake Sheff
Exiter Riddles III. I place my emphasis on penetrating Matters: desiderata as the personal Errata satiates my savagery, and I, Its. Cynical, meticulous, the mapless Man in white officiates my yaw, These graceless arabesques into and through Internalized, familiar song-and-dance, The names and reproductions of delights, Etcetera. The wizened wizardry I whiz by Has taught… Read More Two Poems ~ poetry by Jake Sheff
Jake Sheff is a major and pediatrician in the US Air Force, married with a daughter and three pets. Currently home is the Mojave Desert. Poems of Jake’s are in Radius, The Ekphrastic Review, The Brooklyn Review, The Cossack Review and elsewhere. He won 1st place in the 2017 SFPA speculative poetry contest and was… Read More Parade, a documentary: Shot List ~ lost production notes by Jake Sheff
Diagnosis: Evil A sarcastic poem based on Wikipedia’s “Sarcoidosis” page. This page was last edited on 4 October 2017, at 05:22. A given governing your heart is a disease involving abnormal collections of dissident cells that form lumps known as deciders. The deicide usually begins in the lungs, skin or second thoughts. Less commonly affected… Read More Two Poems ~ poetry by Jake Sheff
After “The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens and “Because I could not stop for death – (479)” by Emily Dickinson Because one must stop winter’s mind – though I could not have death – the forest’s rearguard held its snow as kindling bowed to crust. Like sour elves, immortal carnage slowly stooped. The pine-trees drove… Read More Triple-Bubble Puddle: The Satiety of Influence ~ poetry by Jake Sheff
One of the greatest pleasures I get as editor of your The Disappointed Housewife is opening an unsolicited submission and finding a piece that really “gets” our mission. My grin broadens as I read it, each line telling me that this writer is a natural at what we want to publish: We’re looking for stories… Read More What to Send to The Disappointed Housewife ~ editorial plea by Kevin Brennan
The Disappointed Housewife is pleased to nominate the following stories and poems for the 2021 Pushcart Prizes: FICTION: “Mid-Januinary Radio Jam” by Jim Meirose “The Hopskotch King” by Jake Sheff “The Apparitions” by Kirsty McGrory POETRY: “Oranges (for Frank O’Hara) by Christina M. Rau “If I seem distracted, I’m working on my party trick” by… Read More Pushcart Prize Nominations 2021
The Disappointed Housewife is pleased to nominate the following stories and poems for the 2020 Pushcart Prize (click on titles to view each work): FICTION: “Destination Bulgaria” by Jim Meirose “The Saran Wrappers” by Xenia Taiga “How to Properly Distinguish Between a False Mermaid and a Genuine One” by Hiya Mukherjee POETRY: “Love Letter to… Read More Pushcart Prize Nominations
Just over a year ago, I launched The Disappointed Housewife with an eye toward gathering nuggets of writing that perhaps couldn’t be found elsewhere. I had some particular kinds of works in mind, works that took the generally accepted rules of form and style and bent them into new shapes like literary balloon animals. I… Read More The Disappointed Housewife is One Year Old!
The Disappointed Housewife is delighted to announce our first payment to writers thanks to the generosity of the readers. Last month I created a “starving artists” fund, to which readers can make donations via PayPal. A convenient “donate” button is located in the sidebar to the right. And since the fund’s creation, we’ve collected a… Read More Dough!
