James U. Rizzi
Bio
I cant wait to see what I can create here.
Stories (45/0)
- Top Story - April 2024
Disarmament Top Story - April 2024
They say there's no atheism in the foxhole. While I wasn't currently neck-deep in a river of soft sediment, I was still praying to whoever would listen. Why am I doing this again? I would ponder while staring at the device that in no less than a minute could be my undoing. I scanned each and every variable panel and commonplace button as I watched the bright red L.E.D ticker countdown. No wires to cut, no code to put in, there was only one way to stop this infernal machine, and that incurred perfect timing.
By James U. Rizzi8 days ago in Fiction
One Final Season
The challenge prompt is to start a story/poem with the last line of an email or letter you recently received. Ok so this one was a lot harder than I thought, and honestly a lot more fun. I set the goal of picking a single email and sticking with the last line no matter what. I really wanted the challenge (especially after making the affirmative decision to do a poem) but after the fifth, If you have any questions or inquiries please contact us here. I decided to ease up and broaden my spectrum. I landed on a rare and infrequent email from Netflix announcing that they’re shutting down their DVD division. The email ending with the line you see below. This for some silly/weird reason made me sad (don’t laugh at me k). Maybe it sparked some still-fastened sadness I held for the departure of Blockbuster (greatest place on earth). After all, you know what they say: grief never goes away, it only changes. (Not sad for Netflix they’ll be aight). So with that quick spark of disparaging inspiration, it got me thinking about grief in general. And how the line: We truly appreciate you being part of our final season: Taken in a different context can be quite powerful, especially when talking about missing someone or something
By James U. Rizzi8 months ago in Poets
The Gift of Adventure
As part of James & Oneg’s Summer Writing Challenge Extravaganza, we present to you the Tag You’re It! Challenge. Pick a Vocal community and tag/nominate another writer to write a poem or 100-word micro fic about it BUT you only have 15 minutes to write! I was tagged with the WANDER community by Oneg In The Arctic
By James U. Rizzi9 months ago in Fiction
- Top Story - July 2023
Impression That I GetTop Story - July 2023
Challenge #1 Sweet Summer Song: Pick a song that represents summer for you. Use the song as the title of your piece, and to inspire either a poem or a short story/micro fiction about summer. Feel free to use some of the song's lyrics in your piece as well. So what does summer feel like for you? For the main James & Oneg Summer Writing Challenge Extravaganza, click here.
By James U. Rizzi9 months ago in Fiction
Not Sure What To Call it
This coming-of-age comedy sees our adolescent main character Tyler Arbuck navigate a very eclectic delusion in which he believes, he is currently navigating his life in the form of a movie and or television series. This very meta coping mechanism was birthed when amidst the confines of tragedy Tyler found himself glued to the television, searching for refuge amongst characters, plot lines, and suspended disbelief. Appliy named “Not Sure What To Call It '' (for the very real issue of Tyler not knowing what to call the show that is his life) starts with Tyler integrating his misconception into his early years of high school. Even amongst growing concerns from his parents and brother, he persists that all cameras keep rolling. This truly heartwarming tale of overcoming adversity by wildly enhancing perspective, where the Christmas special, is really a Christmas special. And the scary episodes aren't just smoke and mirrors. Despite the oddity, Tyler begins to touch those around him by seeking a fitting end to each rising concern, just like a really good storyline should. Through laughs, tears, and real unmitigated humanity he convinces those closest that life really is like a movie, it's up to you to change the script. The fourth wall can't be broken because it never existed.
By James U. Rizzi10 months ago in Humor
- Top Story - June 2023
This one is controversialTop Story - June 2023
Ok, I guess I have to go there. In my scrupulous attempt to acquire top story, I have seemed to come up short. Scratching my head for another potential eye-catching idea I peered over the line drawn in the sand. Who knew it'd come to the point where I had to cross it?
By James U. Rizzi10 months ago in Journal
Under Roman Sky
Authors Note This piece was submitted for a contest that required the incorporation of a sunset and the author’s interpretation of what blazing hearts meant to them. During the time of the contest, I was reminiscing with my family about our deep, arduous, and delicate past. We spoke of some of my grandparent's tribulations in a war-torn German-occupied Italy back during World War II and the haunting tale of survival. With that being said I chose the topic as a point of interest for this story The following is a fictional prose-like tale with some recountings of those past occurrences. (Some of these things actually happened) I hope you enjoy it.
By James U. Rizzi11 months ago in Fiction
Why I'm a Metallica Fan: Part 2
It has been just about a year since my inaugural piece on my deep veneration for my favorite band, after launching part 1 I received an overwhelming amount of support and culminated interest of communal love for Metallica and their music, so much so that I felt an overwhelming need to do a part 2 almost immediately. I had a plan, and potent encouragement, backed by such a wonderful community. So why did it take so long? The answer is very similar to the reasons I displayed in the first piece. Reason one, stamped with permanence among most things in life, I never think its the right time. Reason two, I still don't think I can do the band justice. Again I familiarized myself with the two commonplace solutions. One, it will never be the right time. Second, this is so much more than doing the band justice. This is about influence, this is about the people, this is about common ground among turbulence, this is about music, escapism. This is about what it means to be a fan.
By James U. Rizzi11 months ago in Beat
A Piece About Tankas
Just as the title suggests, this piece is about the ancient Japanese writing technique, known as a tanka, a formulated poem that includes 5 lines each, with a pre-set syllable count for each sentence for a total of 31 syllables. The set up is five syllables for the first line. Seven syllables for the second, five syllables for the third, seven syllables for the fourth and fifth line. To make it easier, a little number sequence 5-7-5-7-7. So, like a Haiku, but longer.
By James U. Rizziabout a year ago in Journal