As a Machine and Parts: a novella (12/2011)


Mitchell, a twenty-something Cougar Cub with Marsha, his midlife girlfriend, wakes each morning, living an ever-thinning line between human and machine. As his literal condition progresses he looses his capacity for human emotion, and potentially with it, Marsha.  As a Machine and Parts is a story of Mitchell’s struggle to discover which assembly line he belongs Read more

I Didn't Mean to be Kevin: a novel (1/2012)


Jackson Jacoby is a motherless twenty-two year old boy with only the support of his crazy ex-military Uncle Marve and a kindred motherless peer named Creg. Creg holds fast to the hope of one day reuniting with his mother while Jackson maintains that his own life is so much better off without all the baggage that comes along with being somebody’s Read more

Charactered Pieces: stories


With Charactered Pieces, Caleb J. Ross presents a varied world of familial discord, one where a dead fetus evokes more compassion than its mother (“Charactered Pieces”);  where two brothers offer the destruction of a family legacy as a birthday gift for their aging father (“My Family’s Rule”); where one brother’s love of Holocaust documentaries pushes his family through the aftermath of his assumed suicide (“The Read more

Stranger Will: a novel


In this novel of impending fatherhood, an idealistic teacher recruits a pliant protégé to join her group of Strangers – a devout collection of kindred minds who have dedicated their lives to cultivating a unique idea of perfection. But joining is easier than Read more

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» literary

Colored Chalk, the zine: Issue One

Posted on March 31, 2008 by Caleb J Ross Posted in Publication Annoucements | 1 Comment

Issue OneI’ve been a member of an online writing critique group for a few years, out of which I’ve not only gained a growing understand of craft, but perhaps more importantly, I’ve developed close associations with some fantastic writers. Each year around November we return for another year of ego-brutalizing kinship, which leaves us deflated and disoriented, but not without a mutual understanding that every single moment spent suffering is a moment we’re allowed to nurture precious scar tissue.

But even with the necessary humility we gain, there comes a time when a writer wants to experience the role of an editor. Who are those eyes able to tell the reading public what constitutes publishable fiction? Why them? Out of this curiosity came the Colored Chalk zine.

For each bi-monthly(ish) issue a single editor will nurture the zine from theme to content selection to layout and design. This approach promises to produce material both diverse and representative of the overall sensibilities of the close-knit writing group as a whole.

And who had the honor of editing the very first issue? Some jerk named Caleb Ross.

Click over to www.coloredchalk.com to read the online version of the zine. The Colored Chalk website has been around for a while (much longer than the print zine), so take some time to explore its many offerings.

The Colored Chalk zine, Issue One can be picked up for free in the Kansas City area at Nighthawks coffe
and Prospero’s books. Both of these shops are KC favorites of mine, Prospero’s being a KC independent bookstore staple, and Nighthawks quickly becoming one. Click on the photos to be taken to the respective homepages		 Nighthawks’ CoffeeProspero’s Books
Colored Chalk Colored Chalk the website is an online collaboration community for writers, poets, artists, animators, musicians, composers, and vocalists. You can also find a printable version of this issue, perfect for distributing amongst your local ruffianariams.