LEVITATE

Saturn, Inverted by Trinnity Sistrunk, revolves around Francisco. He and his friend, Thomas, are discussing a job opportunity that would require Francisco to be away from home for six months. Francisco hesitates because he doesn’t want to leave his 17-year-old daughter, Katherine, alone for a long time. Thomas tries to reassure him, pointing out that Continue reading

When you read nonfiction, it’s easy to find yourself reading long paragraphs about stories of one’s grandparent, parent, or sibling. At times, you may find yourself reading about more than one personal experience at a time, but very rarely do you read a creative nonfiction piece that switches between two people from the perspective of Continue reading

Trigger Warning: self-harm This fiction piece is a metaphorical short story about generational trauma and how internal wounds are just as painful as physical wounds. The message leaves the reader with a lasting impact through gruesome detailing of the narrator’s depiction of depression within her family and how it has affected her. “Where We Store Continue reading

Narrative poems are often plot heavy and less character focused. However, the narrative poem, Choir Boy by Kieran Orndorff was chosen to be in this issue of Levitate because of its unique characterization and religious imagery, which creates a character focused story and makes the poem immersive and interesting.  In this poem, point of view Continue reading

“New You” by Jill Nied is a piece about radical change and regret, one that compelled the fiction team so much we just had to include it. The protagonist is a young woman whose estranged sister is eventually sent off by their parents to a mysterious facility and does not hear from her for years Continue reading

“Tour of the Castle” by Merridawn Duckler is a dark, eerie piece that makes the reader think they understand it, only for them to reconsider everything. The poem uses its passage of time to switch the story from top to bottom, and all with one, simple line. With that line, the piece is transformed from Continue reading

We publish one issue annually in late spring. We open for submissions starting November 1, 2021 and close on February 28, 2022, allowing for a print production date in early May. Levitate aims to share the various complexities we have as people. We want work that takes creative risks, challenges the status quo, and embodies Continue reading

Marco Etheridge does an amazing job in “The Tennis Instructor and the Tolling Bell” of talking about devastating but important topics and how different events affect people. It faces the unbelievably tragic reality that is school shootings. Not only does he talk about this topic in a very respectful manner, but he uses his experience Continue reading

It’s finally here–or almost. Levitate Issue 5 will be posted on our website next Tuesday, May 25, and our launch reading will premiere on YouTube that evening at 7 pm Central. Please join us for this event, that we have worked toward during this entire pandemic year! The link is https://youtu.be/eRDI1oysefI Say hello when you Continue reading

You ever get tired of reading the same old poems? The ones about love, or political issues, one’s inner pain? You ever want to read something different, something rare? What if somebody could write a satire about one of the heaviest topics in humanity…and succeed? “Jesus in the Afternoon,” a piece by R. Nikolas Macioci, Continue reading