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The Falling Marbles Bimonthly
An every-other-month offering of and about fiction from the premier publisher of literary fiction in the State of Texas
ISSUE II (Sep/Oct ’25)
featuring a poetic look at love in the time of foggy grime, the first day of a classic’s rebirth, the second part of a tale of two universities, and much more
Previous Issues
“Cascading worth, one work at a time”
Stories
THE BALLAD OF EDMUND TUPPENCE, CANTO THE SECOND by Mark Gullick
The second of four cantos in The Ballad of Edmund Tuppence, a look-in at the state of love in postmodern London
THE HATCHLINGS OF FALL ’08: A TALE OF TWO UNIVERSITIES by Stewart Berg
Part two of the novel The Hatchings of Fall ’08, the story of two Tacoma-area institutions of higher learning and a group of friends who find themselves at the center of the two schools’ traditional rivalry
CHAPTER SIX
A Coordinated Evening
CHAPTER SEVEN
An Eventful Afternoon
CHAPTER EIGHT
An Irrational Afternoon
CHAPTER NINE
A Divisive Evening
CHAPTER TEN
An Eventful Afternoon, the Second
WHEN THE MONEY COMES by Shay Martin
A wind-to-wings for those who might need a little credit, in the vein of Ok Go’s “This Too Shall Pass.” Where that song concerns the washing away of worries with morning, this work is about the same being done with money.
RESCUE AT CRIPPLE CREEK! by Connor Nathans
The story of a close escape from a spot normally so safe and serene, with maybe a metaphor involved
THE PENTAMERON, DAY ONE by Mariah Ashe
Day One, including the first ten stories, of The Pentameron; or, The Five Days of Fifty Stories, as Told by a Group of Friends Escaping the COVID Pandemic, a reworking of the 15th Century work “Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles.” First translated into English in 1899 by Robert Douglas, this collection is now, for the first time, elevated to the level of Boccaccio’s Decameron and the Heptameron of Marguerite de Navarre with a frame story fitting for it.
IMMATERIAL GIRL by Shay Martin
A quip at the self-obsessed, in the vein of Madonna’s “Material Girl.” Where that song concerns the embracing of that which can be embraced, this work pokes fun at those who reject the same.
THE SEASONAL FESTIVAL by Stewart Berg
The story of a family’s time at a music festival, as experienced by their young son and centered around a performance by their favorite band.
On Stories
AFTERWORD TO FRIENDSHIP by Stephen Paul Foster
An author’s thoughts on the (double) murderous background that led to his novel Fatal Friendship
HEMINGWAY ON TWAIN: REVIEWING A REVIEW by Stewart Berg
A correcting review of a long-standing review, from which Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is able to be seen in its proper light
