Lit/Pub #IV - The Wake Up Issue - Spring2024
The magazine of Professor Andrea di Robilant literary class at The American University of Rome. "Last year’s issue of Lit/Pub was about the slow return to a post-Covid world. This year, the initial theme was dreams – time to get on with it and think about the future. But the more we discussed what to put in the issue, the more it became apparent that a lingering wariness was still in the air, even a certain complacency. Hence the exhortatory title – The Wake Up Issue – which Isabella Klepikoff has deftly captured in the design of this year’s cover: a wolf resting by a Roman fountain. He looks to be resting, but his lively green eyes tell us he is stirring back to action."
The magazine of Professor Andrea di Robilant literary class at The American University of Rome.
"Last year’s issue of Lit/Pub was about the slow return to a post-Covid world. This year, the initial theme was dreams – time to get on with it and think about the future. But the more we discussed what to put in the issue, the more it became apparent that a lingering wariness was still in the air, even a certain complacency. Hence the exhortatory title – The Wake Up Issue – which Isabella Klepikoff has deftly captured in the design of this year’s cover: a wolf resting by a Roman fountain. He looks to be resting, but his lively green eyes tell us he is stirring back to action."
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Fiction<br />
“Your mother sounds strong,” the woman responded.<br />
“She is.” Maria still remembered her mother’s hard grip around her wrist as she pulled her<br />
away from the undertow when she was a little girl.<br />
“Do you swim competitively?” <strong>The</strong> woman’s voice was calm, the words unrushed, like the<br />
water flowing on the shore.<br />
“I did when I was a kid. Do you?”<br />
<strong>The</strong> woman gave a soft smile, “No, but my daughter does.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> sun disappeared behind the ocean, and a dark shadow fell on the woman's face. “It was<br />
nice meeting you sweetie,” the stranger said, suddenly looking tired. She turned away, signaling that<br />
the conversation was over.<br />
<strong>The</strong> walk back to the apartment was uphill and Maria felt dizzy as she looked over the glowing<br />
lights of Ponza that reflected off the ocean’s smooth back. Her bikini felt cold when she reached for<br />
her keys deep in her bag. She had goosebumps on her arms and stomach. She opened the door and<br />
recognized the savory smell of a pesto sauce.<br />
“You're late,” Maria’s mother said. She continued to stir the pasta without looking up. “You<br />
know I don’t like you swimming past sunset.”<br />
“I wasn’t,” Maria said, stepping into the bathroom. “I was talking to a woman on the beach.”<br />
She untied her bathing suit and dropped it on the floor. <strong>The</strong> blue tiles felt cold under her bare feet as<br />
she changed into a white dress.<br />
In the kitchen her mother handed her a knife and a tomato. Maria cut the tomato into thin<br />
slices as the juices bled onto the cutting board.<br />
“Who was it?” Maria’s mother asked as she handed her another tomato.<br />
“She never said.” Maria described the woman’s attractive features, and the worry lines that<br />
covered her forehead.<br />
“Hm, sounds like Katerina.” Maria’s mother knew everybody, from one end of the small<br />
island to the other.<br />
“Simone’s wife?”<br />
Her mother nodded. “She has been staring at that damn ocean for years.”<br />
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