Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

  • “The Stink of Horses” — Hobart (September 2014)

    “The Stink of Horses” — Hobart (September 2014)

    My short story “The Stink of Horses” appeared on Hobart on June 27, 2014. First line: “I don’t understand anything about the ballet; all I know is that during the intervals the ballerinas stink like horses.” — Anton Chekhov Inspiration: I read the above Chekhov quote in a magazine, maybe The New Yorker, and couldn’t…

  • “The Land of Phantom Limbs” — Flash Fiction Online (January 2014)

    “The Land of Phantom Limbs” — Flash Fiction Online (January 2014)

    My story “The Land of Phantom Limbs” appeared on Flash Fiction Online in January of 2014. First line: “After the grenade went off under him, they had no choice but to cut off Jon’s arm.” Inspiration: In high school I read Johnny Got His Gun. The frantic pace of the narrative moved me to tears,…

  • “The Siren” — Strange Horizons (April 2013)

    “The Siren” — Strange Horizons (April 2013)

    My short story “The Siren” appeared on Strange Horizons on April 15, 2013. First line: “When Jen came home from school, she found a woman in the pool in her backyard.” Inspiration: Inspired by the Bat for Lashes song, “Siren Song” (and *very* loosely on my own experience discovering my bisexuality as a teenager —…

  • “The Wanderers” — Clarkesworld (February 2013)

    “The Wanderers” — Clarkesworld (February 2013)

    My short story “The Wanderers” appeared in the February 2013 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine. First line: “We came to your planet because we knew that you, the peoples of Kill Bill and Saw and Vietnam and Columbine Massacre would understand us.” Inspiration: Every year I put together an Art & Words Show. Although I don’t…