Recent Publications

Excerpts from Leonard Nash's published fiction, poetry, nonfiction:

"You Can't Get There From Here" (short story) "And a few nights ago, I dreamt that I was with my wife, not that I've ever been married, and a couple of kids, a boy and a little girl, and we were having this picnic on the beach as the sun was setting over the skyline. We were having grilled salmon steaks, watermelon, pretzels, and all of us, even the kids, were drinking some expensive chardonnay. I don't know what that was all about, but it woke me up just the same. Personally, I'd rather just sleep through the night, and in the morning, pick up my life wherever I left off. Entertainment like that I don't need. I've got all I can take between the books I borrow from the public library and all those extra cable channels I worked out with the installer guy.

"California Honeymoon, Day 1" (poetry -- full-text) On the Rand McNally, me and my new wife explored Southern California, seeking the scenic routes to Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Malibu.

"Dad's Fish" (prose) "I figure I'll watch the World Series, so I pull the upholstered chair up to Dad's bedside and eat my dinner while I use the remote control that's anchored to his end table. I keep flipping through all the stations until I remember that tonight's an off-day for traveling, so I settle for a movie on Home Box Office, something with Jack Lemmon before he got so old.

"Eighteen Wheels Across America" (poetry -- full-text) ... But days later, discouraged and short of cash, I'm in Port Angeles, Washington, where the owner of the traveler's hostel says she's never heard of Raymond Carver, wonders if he plays for the Mariners or Seahawks, doesn't know his unwritten stories will forever melt in the shadows on the western edge of town, at the Ocean View Cemetery.

"Humboldt County" (short story) The slick underbrush was wet with the heavy humidity that keeps Northern California so green, and in the eerie silence, save for the occasional hum of truck tires along the 101 freeway, I felt like we were all connected somehow to the Cecil of today, this sickly man in search of companionship, and the young boy he once was, healthy and shirtless and lean, taking turns with his childhood pals, leaping headfirst from the ragged cliffs.

"Legal Tender" (short story) We ordered a pizza, polished off the remains of a cheesecake I found in the freezer, drank some instant decaf, and watched the second half of a movie on PBS, some old chick flick starring Spencer Tracey and Sidney Poitier. This was on a Friday night. Phoebe didn't take the cat home until Sunday afternoon.

"No Deposit, No Return" (short story) It was a Friday afternoon in late March, the kind of sun-sprinkled, cool spring day when your father should be driving you to the neighborhood park for a game of catch with your new Rawlings Fastback fielder's mitt, complete with its machine-engraved Mike Schmidt autograph and its Grip-O-Matic leather stitching.

"What More Do You Want?" (short story) Oscar sat on the bed and watched this stranger fill a Hefty bag with most of his wife's nicer dresses, some polyester blouses and pants, some of which she'd made herself, along with a mess of vinyl pocket books, an assortment of shoes, and some odds and ends that women wear. Scarves, hair nets, pantyhose still in the package. Things like that.

Sample Magazine Articles (full-text links):

"For Ron Mann, Publishing is Good Business; Miami Magazine; Spring 2005

"Terry Hickey Follows His Academic Vision; Miami Magazine; Spring 2005

"From Hollywood to Politics, Jonathan Hefler Aims High; Miami Magazine; Spring 2005

"Better, Stronger, Faster; Miami Magazine; Fall 2004

"Richard Lyons Enjoys the Fruits of His Labor"; Miami Magazine; Spring 2004

"Anthony Atala Is Pioneering Organic Growth"; Miami Magazine; Spring 2004

"The Objects of Stephen Althouse’s Expression"; Miami Magazine; Spring 2004

"Roselee Roberts Has Found Her Mission in Space"; Miami Magazine; Spring 2004

"Claudia Reiff Finds Her Niche in the Ring"; Miami Magazine; Fall 2003

"Jose Abreu Is a Man in Motion"; Miami Magazine; Fall 2003

"How the Reengineered Solid Waste Operation Produces $400,000 in Annual Savings"; Facilities Manager; Vol. 19, No. 5; Sept./Oct. 2003.