Edited by Ryan Gattis
“This isn’t so much an anthology of short fiction and art as a book in the tradition of eclectic record samplers. Full of B-Sides and Rarities from nearly every member in our artistic family, it’s the equivalent of a mix-tape packed with different styles and genres: Supernatural Fantasy, Shoe-gazing Romance, Mystery, Historical, Noir, and Surreal Sci-Fi. The stories inside span eras and places, from Louisiana to California, from Harlem to Kyoto. This sampler is a testament to the power of collaboration, and we enjoyed the process so much, we’re making The Cost of Paper an annual tradition, not for a profit, but to share who we are and what we most believe in with you—all for the cost of what it takes to print.”
-Ryan Gattis, Editor
“Harlem’s Trial” – Excerpt
She sl-o-w-ly stained her lips with another coat of her new lipstick, Iced Ruby Red. It made her voluptuous pout even poutier and that thrilled her in her secret place. She pressed her lips together like a baby-doll’s when its string is pulled to say, “mom-ma”.
Smiling, she reviewed her figure inherited from the black, brown and beige women that had come before her. Her silk black dress danced around her slim calves as she posed this way and that just like the bombshells she’d seen in “Life” magazine. Turning her bell bottom to the mirror, she craned her neck to check out her rear view. A chocolate-velvet cascade of freshly pressed and curled hair fell over her amber eye. She sent a puff of air to move the hair aside so her hands could slide the dress up a bit.
“Divine,” She giggled. Those two black stocking seams marching up her sculpted calves made her think of Joe’s supple fingers sliding and riding in rhythm along the neck of his upright bass.
Peppur Chambers 