Adieu, and Be Well ... Broad Street is now closed.

Adieu, and Be Well … Broad Street is now closed.

One last time, and forever, we thank all of our contributors, our readers, our boards, and our editorial staff over the last almost-decade. We had a great run and published so much of which we are deeply proud. We started laying plans in 2011 with a dream and a shoestring...
“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

Reflections on life, afterlife, and the reality of the dark, dark passage. “Nothing in my life will be erased after I die.” Photo by the author. To most of you out there, I’m old. I’m so old, odds are I’ll probably die soon. You can think on that for a few seconds and move...
“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

A pandemic and other global breakdowns inspire a visual journal of diverse styles and influences. “I think for me what is interesting about this series of work is the diversity of voices within myself.” “Vitriol.” Editors’ Note: Alexandra (Ali) Blum is a California-based artist who draws on influences from around the...
Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser. 

Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser. 

 The BLM movement is writ large on the Civil War monuments of the Confederacy’s former capital. And now some controversial statues are being removed. “We Just Want Justice,” protesters and graffiti at the base of the Robert E. Lee statue. Broad Street’s home is in Richmond, Virginia, where Jefferson Davis once presided...
From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

On learning that she should sacrifice herself for the good of the public. pikrepo.com On the television this morning, an idea was floated with great sincerity. I could sacrifice myself for the public good. If anyone had to get sick or starve or die from a lack of oxygen, I was...
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Spotlight Interview: A. W. Barnes, memoirist.

Spotlight Interview: A. W. Barnes, memoirist.

Andrew (A. W.) Barnes’s book of essays, The Dark Eclipse: Reflections on Suicide and Absence, debuts with Bucknell University Press on December 14, 2018. It includes “Familial Bodies,” published in Broad Street’s online iteration. The publisher describes The Dark Eclipse as “personal essays in which A. W. Barnes seeks to come to terms with the...
"Familial Bodies," on a brother's suicide and a father's scorn. Memoir by A. W. Barnes.

“Familial Bodies,” on a brother’s suicide and a father’s scorn. Memoir by A. W. Barnes.

A father’s harsh words about a gay son’s suicide echo down the decades. A Broad Street online exclusive. “Anyone who lives this way deserves to die this way,” he said, looking directly at me …   One day in October 1993, I met my parents at the Medical Examiner’s office on 30th Street and First Avenue...
Family Laundry: "Someone Else's Story," by Luanne Castle.

Family Laundry: “Someone Else’s Story,” by Luanne Castle.

An online exclusive. “… a young mother whose husband was involved in a catastrophic accident and had to be institutionalized.” In the sixth installment of this series exploring family history and its conversion into a faithful narrative, Luanne Castle reconstructs the life of a distant relation on her grandmother’s side, a woman whose resilience in the...
Presenting our 2018 Pushcart Prize nominees …

Presenting our 2018 Pushcart Prize nominees …

At BROAD STREET, we celebrate each word we publish. Choosing nominees during awards season is never easy, but here are six outstanding pieces from 2018 — with thanks to everyone who has helped us bring great true stories to the world this year. Photograph by Roger Camp: Stuffed mice in a Parisian shop window.   You can sample the...
Introducing TRULY, our free monthly digest.

Introducing TRULY, our free monthly digest.

Do you believe in truth? (Let’s not even talk about justice and the American way right now — but we will.) Then we invite you to enjoy Truly, our new free monthly newsletter.                                               Go...