Applause Issue 35

Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, I have never felt more honored-or less qualified-to step into a role than I do with this one. Everyone involved in the creation of this collection, from the artists to the authors to our incredible staff, have worked tirelessly for the past few months to bring you this issue. Well, maybe not tirelessly. More than a few of us lost some sleep to make sure everything looked just right, so, here it is.

For Applause Issue 35, our feature theme is "The Unnatural State," a play on the nickname of our home state of Arkansas, "The Natural State," turning it on its head. As we reviewed submissions, we looked for pieces that embraced the weird, macabre, or just downright unnatural. The most striking of these you'll find in our feature section.

I find that we are often pressured to fit a certain mold, no matter what community we align ourselves with. Even in communities and spaces that pride themselves on openness and acceptance, there are still expectations for how we should look, act, or live, unspoken as they may be. In these pages, I hope you will find a reprieve from those pressures-a place where you can immerse yourself and float amongst the beautiful, strange, and unusual. For some of us, it's rare to be allowed the privilege of removing the mask and revealing our true face. My hope is for Applause to exist as a space where we can breathe freely as ourselves.

I want to extend a final thanks to every author and artist whose works are housed within these pages, as well as all to my fellow staff members. Without each and every one of them, the magazine you are about to read simply wouldn't exist. I certainly couldn't have done it alone. From the depths of my heart: thank you.

Now, I'll let you step through the door. May whatever you encounter-strange or familiar-show you something you have perhaps forgotten about who you are. Find yourself. Remember yourself. Love yourself.

-Ari Long Applause Managing Editor April 2025

Table of Contents FICTION Version of Us by Caroline Cunningham.......................................................................... 1 Scott’s Drive by Leontine Coombs ................................................................................... 7 eighteen by Jillian Calamia .............................................................................................. 10 Cluckbait by Sam Capehart ............................................................................................. 12 The Forgotten Key by Alexandra Shandrenko .............................................................. 23 In the Shadows of the Oak Tree by Alexandra Shandrenko .......................................... 23 The Last Passenger by Alexandra Shandrenko ............................................................. 25 The Gutter by Elijah Patterson........................................................................................ 26 The Little Death by Liam Conway .................................................................................. 28 Something More by Stephanie Rowitz ........................................................................... 31 The Fig Tree by Carolina Volcker ................................................................................... 35 On Cherries by Peyton Harris......................................................................................... 39

SPECIAL FEATURE: UNNATURAL STATE Under the Willow’s Moss by Shelley Jackson ................................................................ 43 What Happened Before by Anna Ford ............................................................................. 45 Lonely Angel by Elizabeth Livingston ........................................................................... 47 Town With the Little Tin Diner by Tilden Culver ......................................................... 55 Ingrid by Alyssa Pierce ................................................................................................... 63 Memento Morí by Jacqueline Hyatt ............................................................................... 67 A Personal Ghost Story by Alanah Touhey ................................................................... 73 Winter at the Cabin by Lauren Ras ................................................................................. 74 Thaw by A.J. Frantz ......................................................................................................... 75

Reconstruction by A.J. Frantz .......................................................................................... 77 All the Meat From My Bones by Iraeda Mendell ........................................................... 78 Premature Assurance by M.S. Blues................................................................................ 79 heaven on the seventh day by Luc Neacy ........................................................................ 80 Confession by Natalie Mazey .......................................................................................... 81 Failed Experiment by Natalie Mazey .............................................................................. 82

POETRY Baldwin Acrosonic Piano by Asher Marin...................................................................... 84 The Great Leaving by Asher Marin ................................................................................. 85 Aubade by Asher Marin .................................................................................................. 86 Aftermath by Sarah Watkins ........................................................................................... 87 Stripping by Georgia Bates ............................................................................................. 88 Monet’s Water Lillies//a moment with you by Arunima Das ......................................... 90 “I Will” by Shelly Jackson .............................................................................................. 91 Honey Gordo Slime by Adelaide Gifford ....................................................................... 93 Lithpops by Adelaide Gifford ......................................................................................... 94 I Love You in Katra by Saachi Sethii ............................................................................... 95 Local Man by Gianna Stay .............................................................................................. 97 that candle you threw at my head was a gift by Luc Nealy ............................................. 98 Felon of Yourself by Tierney Boyle ............................................................................... 100 Blatantly by Reebie Flowers ......................................................................................... 101 Yesterday by Bennie Nguyen ....................................................................................... 102 Things we broke (a list): by Dima Aboukasm .............................................................. 103

NONFICTION My Hill of Crosses by Tristan Caudle .......................................................................... 105

Hovering Shoes by Petra Bennett .................................................................................. 111 Desert Dust by Ellen Lombardo ................................................................................... 115

ART Your Lies by Caitlin Kilpatrick....................................................................................... 24 Apple Orchard and Delusions by Caitlin Kilpatrick ...................................................... 41 Abandoned House in Missouri by Emily Clara Jaerecke .............................................. 48 Purple Flower in a Waterless Vase by Adriana Rocha ................................................... 66 The Empty Full City by Athena Rowe ............................................................................ 76 A Metal Flower is Hosted by the Shell by Adriana Rocha ............................................. 89 The Red String by Kiera Fisher ..................................................................................... 114

Contributors .................................................................................................................. 120

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