The Commuter

An Organized Girl’s Guide to Overcoming Parent Death

"Grief Log," a story by Venita Blackburn, illustrated by Bianca Alejos

Grief Log

Illustrator Bianca Alejos earned an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts from Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT and her Bachelor’s Degree in 2D Animation from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. 

About the Author

Venita Blackburn is the author of Black Jesus and Other Superheroes, winner of the 2016 Prairie Schooner book prize for fiction and recipient of the 2018 PEN America Los Angeles literary prize in fiction. She is an Assistant Professor of creative writing at California State University, Fresno. venitablackburn.com

More about the author

About The Commuter

The Commuter, arriving every Monday morning, is our home for flash fiction, graphic narrative, and poetry. Sign up for The Commuter newsletter to get every issue straight to your inbox, or join our membership program for access to year-round submissions. EL’s lit mags are supported by the Amazon Literary Partnership Literary Magazine Fund and the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Commuter

Subscribe

Strange, short, and diverting writing delivered to your inbox every Monday..

Read Next
Switch On Symbol
Screenshot from A Ghost Story

9 Eerie Ghost Stories

Miciah Bay Gault, author of "Goodnight Stranger," recommends fiction that will haunt you

Jul 29 - Miciah Bay Gault Read
Switch On Symbol

More Like This

conversations

Who Do Powerful Men Become When They Sit Down at Home?

Taymour Soomro’s novel, "Other Names for Love," reframes tropes about power, queer shame, and the language of violence

Aug 2 - Yasmin Adele Majeed
Lit Mags

Mom Has Her Boyfriend, I Have Her Cigarettes

"Smokes Last" from Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, recommended by Isaac Fitzgerald

Jun 22 - Morgan Talty
woman dancing
Lit Mags

A Young Dancer’s First Glimpse of Her Future

An excerpt from "The Archer" by Shruti Swamy, recommended by Alexandra Chang

Sep 22 - Shruti Swamy
Thank You!