HeyJaredThe Long and The Short of It
The Long and The Short of It examines how literary themes can be explored across genre and form, and how the chosen form helps shape our artistic impulses and responses.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 29, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 14, 2026
Latest issues
Letter from the Editor: Joshua Zeitler (opens the original)
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It’s hard to believe we’re kicking off our second year of The Long & the Short of It—but thanks to you, our readers and submitters, here we are! The theme for Volume II issue 1 was “Smoke,” and your interpretations delighted us. We read about the smoke of fall bonfires, the smell that clings to the walls, the signs of the aftermath of celebration or tragedy, wispy ephemerality, and so much more! Since five Thursdays fall in October, we curated these five pieces to tickle your nostrils:October 1:
The Man Who Told Me His Trauma Before Saying Hello (opens the original)
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The Man Who Told Me His Trauma Before Saying HelloBy J.H. LynnThe first man I matched with on the dating app didn’t say hello.He said, “My ex stole my air fryer,” and then sent a photo of a lasagna he could no longer make.I wasn’t prepared for this. I had only just downloaded the app, still believing in romance, serendipity, and the possibility of meeting someone in the produce aisle while comparing avocados. Instead, I was now the emotional support stranger for a man grieving a countertop appli
Do-Over (opens the original)
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Do-OverBy Polly ConwayWhen the going gets tough, the immortal jellyfish becomes a baby again. And again. Lucky medusae, blessed mesoplankton who get to start fresh times infinity, or until they get eaten. I once got caught eating peanut butter from the jar with a knitting needle as a spoon. Shrug. Change is possible. Late bloomers still bloom. One rose bush in my parents’ backyard has a single strong stalk that’s like twelve feet tall with two rosebuds at its tip, reaching. Rose poterie, rose<sp
Zoot Suit (opens the original)
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Zoot SuitBy Patrick CarellaThey came not with lasers and destruction, but with beneficence.Officially, it became the Great Assimilation. We hardly noticed the transition—slow, calm, almost civil.In less than five years, hunger, poverty, and war had been eliminated.Zoos were emptied. Borders disappeared. Money stopped being printed, and the Department of the Treasury was chloroformed.But the most inventive—and the most colorful—was how they ended crime.They convinced us to ban the death penalty—r
Customer Service (opens the original)
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Customer ServiceBy Joshua WalkerThe wizard at the help deskwas having a rough morning.His coffee had gone sentient.His crystal ball displayedweather reports from 1987.Someone cursed the copierto produce additional copiesof existential dread.“Have you tried turning it offand back on?” I asked.The wizard stared.The copier stared.A small dragon in accountingnodded approvingly.By lunch I was head of HR.The dragon got my parking space.</spa
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