Aris Coltabaugh
Bio
Aris is a pastry chef by day and a writer/poet by night. They live in Asheville, NC with her hound dog, Riley. Their first poetry collection can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble titled "Love & Labor".
Stories (37/0)
A Small Problem
A barn owl flew in front of the great, yellow-white moon, momentarily casting a shadow over the yard as Jefferson looked out at his cornfield. All was quiet and that’s what he worried about. Even in the dead of night, you could hear them - the dead. They groaned and creaked the same way the house settled at night. It was unsettling to hear nothing after hearing ill sounding moans for so long. But Jefferson had finally rigged an electrical generator from a small hydro-pump he attached to the house, which he then connected to an electrical fence he’d been working on for months. It had taken several tries to set up the fence and he’d nearly been bitten twice.
By Aris Coltabaughabout a year ago in Fiction
My Favorite Read of 2021
Even though I became obsessed with the A Court of Thorns and Roses series this year, it ultimately didn't hold a candle to my favorite book of the year. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. (And if you scoff at my love for ACOTAR, then you my friend are a gatekeeper. Let me love the books that I want to, please and thank you).
By Aris Coltabaughabout a year ago in Geeks
The Writing Room
There once was a quirky room where writers gathered to write their stories of fantasy and romance, of the future and the past, of quite anything they wanted to write about, so long as it was Truth. The writers were young and old and middle aged, black, white, asian, mixed, boys, girls, and those in between. The people who wanted to write, came and the people that didn’t want to write, never came. Whenever someone wanted to write, they appeared in the room. When they were finished, they left. Sometimes, people get stuck there for a long, long time. Afterall, a person can only leave once they've finished writing out their truth.
By Aris Coltabaughabout a year ago in Fiction
After 24 years, I know my life's purpose
There is so much left in this world for me to discover. So much left to wonder over. Sometimes I forget this notion, trapped in the sludge of the regular work week. I forget to look outside at the grass and the trees and the sky. I take my dog's love for granted and it is only when the wind blows to I remember to look up. To wonder, to love, to discover.
By Aris Coltabaughabout a year ago in Motivation
Shadow and Bone vs A Court of Thorns and Roses
Spoilers for the Shadow and Bone trilogy AND the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. This piece is the opinion of the author who does not claim to be an expert in the field of book tropes or whether an author’s writing is believable.
By Aris Coltabaugh2 years ago in Geeks
Why We Drink Coffee and Have Pets
The taste of coffee is fleeting. I find a cup of coffee + oat milk creamer to be extremely comforting. A moment of peace. The coffee is bold, hearty, robust while the creamer is soft, balancing, and has just enough vanilla to make it sweet without needing sugar. Coffee is a wonderful drink I will forever be grateful for. Times I most enjoy a cup of coffee are slow mornings with a good book or sitting at my Gram’s dining table or just after a hike with my mother. I enjoy the solitude or togetherness a cup of coffee can bring. But it never lasts very long and I’m always chasing after those feelings. Coffee is a lot like happiness. There and gone in the space of a few minutes. That’s why we get dogs or cats or fish or rats. Animals bring us perpetual joy and strife and love and frustration. They are our reason for living. Much in the same way we get up in the mornings for a cup of coffee. A moment of peace and zen before the whirlwind of the day’s demands.
By Aris Coltabaugh2 years ago in Poets
Love in a Bubble
To go outside is to breathe ash and radiation. Instead, most of what’s left of humanity lives in special tent cities that were erected in the major hubs around America. Some people still brave the outside with homemade radiation suits, oftentimes they don’t make it to the tent cities. I know because I’m part of the scouting crew that goes out to find survivors. Rarely do we find anyone.
By Aris Coltabaugh2 years ago in Fiction
