Cam Terwilliger

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Paper Fish

By Cam Terwilliger

I hope it is not too late to begin
learning to turn fish into kites.

How to fold the scales like rigid
red paper. How to draw the string

with tension. How to fly it from a hook
in its mouth. How to feed it a candle,

without igniting the thing.

Cam Terwilliger’s fiction and poetry has appeared in many magazines, including The Mid-American Review, Post Road, West Branch, and Narrative, where he was selected as one of the magazine’s “15 Under 30.” His fiction has also been supported by a scholarship to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, as well as fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Elizabeth George Foundation, and the American Antiquarian Society. A graduate of Emerson College’s MFA, he now teaches at Louisiana State University.