All posts by Benjamin

Co-founder of gutwrench.

Something happened.

This is late. We know it’s late. We would offer apologies or excuses, if that was what we assumed our readers wanted for our first issue, but our readers don’t exist yet since we haven’t had a first issue yet. We at Gutwrench would offer our apologies to our writers, but they seem to know that this was delayed because of horrific reasons involving poison, disability and tennis balls. And our writers are just decent people.

So we’re doing this now, rolling out stories throughout the week.

First up, we’ve got a story from Atlanta drag legend Diamond Lil, told live and onstage at Carapace a few years ago.

Next, we have our first fiction piece, a very creepy bit of original horror by the great Grant Jerkins, the author of A Very Simple Crime and Abnormal Man.

For our third act, we’re giving you a gay love story with a twist from Cory D. Byrom, originally written for Write Club Atlanta.

Finally, we have a lovely essay from Sheronda Gipson, reflecting on those calls that come in the middle of the night that can only mean bad news.

Launch dates and deadlines.

Though the birthing process is often a bit difficult and horrifying, it looks as though we tentatively will be able to present you with some new content this summer.

June 1, in particular, would be a good day to expect something from us.

If you are a writer seeking a home for your short story, contact us by May 1 for inclusion in our first batch of stories.

Fresh blood on the wall.

Every life has a little bit of horror in it. It’s something that maybe only the most morbid of us like to discuss, but it’s there for everyone. If you prick us, we all bleed. And we’ve all been pricked one time or another, and we’ve all spilled a little blood.

Once I attended a panel of thriller writers in this white marble room at the Decatur Book Festival. I found out the room – now used for weddings and other happy events – was once the main courtroom for all of Dekalb County. When we stood there, the room was 95 years old, no longer the home of any trials or screaming, passion or fighting. Its colors are all cold, but I’ve never been in that room without sweating. It lacks air conditioning. It’s formal. It’s all worn. It’s uncomfortable, haunted.

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To me, it is one of the creepiest rooms in the area.

So there I was with writers like Amanda Kyle Williams and Peter Farris, and I asked them to consider the history of the room, the murderers it likely saw, the dark stories it contained within its white walls. Then I asked them to describe the room the way they would in a thriller. Farris spoke up and called the room an abbatoir.

Grant Jerkins was also in the room, and he told me that he liked my question. He agreed the room’s history gave it a haunted feel. It called out for fresh blood on the wall, he said.

So, to commence Gutwrench Journal’s beginning, we invite you to look at the photos of that very courtroom and spill some fictional blood.

For our first official story prompt and call-to-action, write a story – any kind of narrative you want – with at least one scene in that marble room.

Again, remember that this room has housed many kinds of events throughout its history, so that gives you free range to write whatever kind of narrative you want. Maybe it’s a love story, maybe it’s a ballad, maybe it’s a dark tale of crime.

When you’re done, send us your completed, final draft to editor@gutwrenchjournal.com, and we’ll consider including it on the site or in our first issue.

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