The First Line
The door was locked.
The Simmons public library was a melting pot of the haves and have-nots, a mixture of homeless people and the wealthy older residents of the nearby neighborhood.
Loud music filled the room, making it hard to hear anything else.
All prose and poetry submissions to in 2020 must begin with one of these three sentences. David LaBounty is founder and editor of this 20-year-old international literary quarterly with his wife, Robin, who coordinates manuscripts. They’re fascinated by how a mandatory first line showcases the variety of
