Treehouse – Summer 2012

Only on their second issue, the editors of Treehouse are off to a great start. Called an “online magazine for short, good writing,” this issue of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry does justice to its tagline.

Only on their second issue, the editors of Treehouse are off to a great start. Called an “online magazine for short, good writing,” this issue of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry does justice to its tagline.

“A Good Meal” by Ravi Mangla paints a scene in which a woman sits down with a random man at a restaurant who stuffs potatoes into his mouth, causing him to choke. Luckily, as she calls out for help, her own husband comes to the rescue not only to aid the man but perhaps also their own marriage. “Domesticity” by Brandi Wells reveals truth about the monotony of a family in routine. And “The Haunted Cave” by Joe Worthen is a tale of a summertime couple who goes to a haunted cave when their car breaks down. Also in fiction is “Napoleon Bonaparte” by Gabriel Blackwell from The Obscura, A Historical Canon in Four Parts, for Voice and Left Hand.

Vaiju Joshi gives us a nonfiction tale called “Clean Slates.” It is written in second person point of view, which forces the reader to become part of the story, reliving childhood when events were much easier to be forgotten and moved on from.

We get a prose poem from Ana Cristina Alvarez titled “Support” that screams excellence from the first line: “In St. Louis, I used to hit Wiffle balls with my dad’s prosthetic leg.” And we also get two poems from Yve Miller: “When I Was a Train Passenger” and “Molting,” which starts,

I sat at the dinner table, high
on cocaine, cracking a lobster,

listening to my father through his thick
scotch globe. I used to hate lobster lessons—

It’s a small issue but one that is well deserving of attention. I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on the Treehouse, waiting until the next time I can climb up the ladder for an adventure.
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