Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud his new contemporary literary fiction story, "We Should Celebrate." Set in Charlotte, North Carolina, this story follows Elena and Noah, roommates whose carefully maintained boundaries are tested when Elena receives a job offer that will take her across the country. Blending understated prose with emotional complexity inspired by Sally Rooney and Emily Henry, the story explores the concept of "never-lovers;" people who want to be together but battle against timing and circumstance. Using an experimental three-act structure compressed into short fiction, it examines missed connections, unspoken feelings, and what happens when we choose our futures over our hearts.
You can find the written version of "We Should Celebrate" right here.
About the Author
Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.
Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.
- Read "We Should Celebrate" with original artwork.
- Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
- Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.
About Cetera
Cetera is a literary magazine publishing original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.
Credits
- Host & Author: Jon Negroni
- Editor: Natalia Emmons
- Artwork: Jon Negroni
- Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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