“It was not a tune of a life cut short and steeped in shame, but a life grateful to have been lived.”
“An Elegy from Afar” was my contribution to Sundown, an anthology published by Leftover Books and Cowboy Jamboree press released in February 2024 to commemorate the life of Gordon Lightfoot. The story mixes the impossible crime with Southern Gothic, describing a man’s disappearance from a Charleston Beach. This is my first story to be available on Amazon, and I was grateful to be part of this project.
“All the minor annoyances and inconveniences she had come to begrudgingly accept had vanished into the white. And yet, she could see everything—every distant peak, every white-speckled tree, every shining cloud.“
In “Destination Suicide,” a woman takes a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Alps and meets a self-proclaimed Ferryman. This story has speculative elements but is primarily a character study. In December of 2023, it was published in volume 31 of Glass Mountain.
“There were five of us left in Jerusalem. One lay dead on the bunker floor.”
“A Tabernacle Six Cubits Deep” is my first story published in a national literary magazine. I wrote this locked room mystery set after the end of the world for my fiction writing class in junior year. In October of 2023, it was published by Bridge, a literary magazine for writers age 14-24.
(Content Warning: profanity)
“This year’s Nomad is dedicated to those who drift through the realm where dreams and memories are made. Without you, our world would be so much darker.”
In my senior year, I produced my second Nomad edition as head editor, focusing our issue on the theme of the six senses. We printed 300 editions over the summer of 2023 containing twelve short stories, twelve poems, seven nonfiction pieces, and several photographs and works of art by WCU students.
This edition contains two of my own stories: “The Heart Beats in Ones and Zeroes” and “The Other Side.” The first of these was a finalist in WCU’s 2023 Creative Writing competition.
“I hope that as you read these stories you are satisfied, delighted, and inspired. Because once you’ve reached the end, it’s time to look for the next beginning.”
During my junior year, I produced my first Nomad edition as head editor along with my staff. Despite a tumultuous production cycle, we printed 300 editions over the summer of 2022 containing seven short stories, five nonfiction pieces, five poems, original graphic re-imaginings of past submissions, and countless digital and physical artwork by students at WCU.
This edition contains three of my own stories: “For Stella,” “Mermaid in the Mist,” and “Who Bit the Apple?” The first of these was a finalist in WCU’s 2021 Creative Writing competition.
“‘It is my belief that—you cannot have world peace—until you can take your shadow by the hand—'”
A collaborative story created in late 2020 and early 2021 with the help of 11 people, with a story, characters, and puzzles created by me over nearly two years. The story examines the ways diverse people are torn apart by violence and brought together in understanding. By far the most popular work of fiction I’ve created. I’m slowly transforming it into a playable video game for a wider audience.
(Content Warning: profanity, violence)
“People were shouting outside. They brought their fire trucks and their police cars, but they couldn’t stop what was coming. No machine could rebuild the hope of a nation.”
Over the summer of 2020, I submitted an original work to Everyzine Everyzine, a collaborate magazine made by fans of British indie rock band Everything Everything. The piece was accepted and included in the final edition of the magazine. Inspired by a song on the band’s third album, the story demonstrates my vividly gothic writing style and character-driven narratives.
“Clara had a habit of trying to make sense of the world around her. It was a dangerous habit considering how nonsensical the world had become.”
Throughout my first year of college, I created this short story which depicts a world where rampant medical advancement has eliminated death. The piece is only available through this portfolio as another example of my writing style and creativity.
Stephen M. Pierce 