After Dinner Conversation: Philosophy

This magazine publishes fictional stories that explore ethical and philosophical questions in an informal manner. The purpose of these stories is to generate thoughtful discussion in an open and easily accessible manner. Names, characters, businesses

Permit me an editor’s distraction. In a previous life, I was a US History/Humanities teacher. Like most, I learned more teaching US History than I ever did taking it as a student. The main thing I learned while teaching US History is that the inventi

I lock my car and shove my keys into the pocket of my big coat. The parking garage is nearly full this morning, so I have to use the elevator to get down to the exit. The moment the doors slide open, there is a woman waiting for me. She is wearing my

On a frigid December morning, Hank Sanders stomped the caked mud off his worn boots and entered Discount Hardware. He couldn’t shake his cousin’s remarks. Put her down, he’d said. The words had rolled so effortlessly off his lips, as if her life mean

Dr. Kamilah Zhang failed to turn up for her eight o’clock physics lecture on a cold Tuesday morning, leaving her students to grumble about unprofessional conduct. One student, a philosophy major, even went so far as to suggest — unethical. By nine o’

“An intervention?” Mary blurted out. “You can’t be serious.” Bill felt his face flush with anger at the flippant remark. “Yeah, an intervention. We’ve tried talking to him, but nothing ever changes.” Bill and Mary were having yet another discussion a

The envelope thuds onto the mat, along with a scattering of birthday cards. Sheila still has a handful of friends and family who appreciate her enough to choose a card, write a personal message, and take it to the post box. She suspects the large bro

Always make them wait. Couples love to talk, young ones especially. We’re not allowed to record them, but there are no laws on amplifying. Our waiting area is designed to project their voices, magnifying their speech and feeding it directly into my e

Simon killed the Devil. It wasn’t an easy feat to kill something immortal, but Simon had been up to the task. “I thought I was giving a gift to all humanity,” Simon said at his trial, his orange jumpsuit glowing like a sun under the neon lights. “I r

Kathryn LeMon earned her BA in creative writing from Kenyon College and is presently an MFA candidate at the Ohio State University where she serves as the Production and Online Editor for The Journal. She is the winner of Flash Frog’s 2023 Blue Frog

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