Flash Your Fiction

Four Chambers Press is an independent literary magazine based in Phoenix, Arizona that has the goal of bringing literary arts to the public. Four Chambers prints two issues a year, welcoming all genres. They often motivate first-time writers to publish their work.

On September 13^th, 2014 this group brought literature to the public by holding a Flash-Mob style reading called “Flash Your Fiction” on the Phoenix light rail system. In doing so, they hoped to honor the daily occurrence of public transportation and strove to represent the unpredictability of life, which can be turned into material for poems or prose. The Flash-Mob participants divided in three groups to board the light rail from Central Ave. and Camelback Station. They staggered their reading times and performed for about twelve minutes per group, to finish at the Public Farmers Market in Roosevelt Station.

 The readers joined the several light rail riders, and once on board they introduced themselves, shared their motives for reading, and started to perform their art. Poet and co-organizer Kelly Nelson was the first performer on the third train, sharing her poem “Murder in a Bus.” She was followed by her fellow writers with prose pieces such as “Happiness is the Worst Drive,” “Materialistic Desire”, and “Directions Home.” The riders expressed their gratitude by clapping between pieces. 

The readers were able to connect with a diverse public of all ages and backgrounds by sharing work that reflected the real experiences of riders in the public system. They were able to link the emotions of daily life with literature. The literary arts are often misinterpreted by others as being boring or mundane, but once the public has experienced the intrigue of a story or a poem, they recognize how much can be expressed in a few lines of literature.   -Zalma Aguirre