Featured Writing

Silhouette of a city skyline

Tattered Shoes

by Sarah Toney (This story contains suicide.) The air was thin and icy. Breathing it in felt like swallowing shattered glass. The city was beautiful from this height and the boy wanted to reach out and feel the warmth of the setting sun. The heaviness in his chest felt a…

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Competition Posts

Women with their arms around each other supporting one another

The Inclusive Spirit of Mrs. Rodriguez: A Beacon of Unity in Our Community

by Glenn Mulbah Celebrated on March 8 each year, International Women’s Day celebrates women and their contributions to society. In 2024, the International Women’s Day theme is Inspire Inclusion, which represents the importance of encouraging and uplifting women’s diverse perspectives and ideas.  Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) recently hosted an…

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Yellow stethoscope with a red heart-shaped coil next to it

An Advocate for Inclusion: Fa’atigafua’s Journey in Healthcare 

by Erasi Valusaga Celebrated on March 8 each year, International Women’s Day celebrates women and their contributions to society. In 2024, the International Women’s Day theme is Inspire Inclusion, which represents the importance of encouraging and uplifting women’s diverse perspectives and ideas.  Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) recently hosted an…

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Leaves floating on water

Dark Water

by Gabe Converse “Dark Water” placed second in Southern New Hampshire University’s 2023 Fall Fiction Contest. The pond behind the old house is full of leaves and scummy water. It hasn’t been touched for months. Louis comes to it sometimes in the early morning, his feet bare and damp and…

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Woman sleeping in bed

Sleeping Beauty

by R.E. Bunch “Sleeping Beauty” placed third in Southern New Hampshire University’s 2023 Fall Fiction Contest. “I’m dying,” She croaked. The sing-song in her voice was strangled out in a hoarse wheeze. “It’s the flu,” The back of my hand rested on her forehead. Her hair was matted to her…

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Birds perching in leafless trees

Beasts

by Ness Wheeler “Beasts” placed fourth in Southern New Hampshire University’s 2023 Fall Fiction Contest. The long winter had forced every creature to be bold in how they got their nourishment, and few were as bold as I had been to keep my brood fed. At midnight, every ten sunsets,…

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Milky Way galaxy

Rat-a-Tat

by Mackenzie Bodily “Rat-a-Tat” placed fifth in Southern New Hampshire University’s 2023 Fall Fiction Contest. Marlyle watched the words “BEACON ACTIVE” slide over the walls of his one-man cruiser. The cabin was dark, illuminated only by the stars outside the window and those words projected in bright red by his…

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A roll of film unraveling

My Mother, My Hero

By Omolayo C. Akinlosotu Koya For International Women’s Day, Southern New Hampshire University students were invited to submit essays in celebration of women’s contributions to society, with a focus on a particular woman who inspired the writer. This essay was selected for publication in The Penmen Review. Thousands of film…

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A large tree with long roots and branches

Michael Row

By Michael Cabrera Even in the fall, it always felt like summer at my grandma’s house. Maybe it was just the weather of California, but it felt like her corner of the neighborhood radiated sunlight and warmth. From the shimmering of the concrete that led to the basketball hoop in…

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Above view of a boat leaving ripples in open water

Cage the Storm

By Kevin Broccoli I liked it better when we were on the bookcase. The titles were all lined up in front of us and we could read them aloud to each other every night. We’d come up with stories and attach them to the titles. The stories would produce other…

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