Welcome to the online journal of the UICA Writers' Group!

We are the writing collective at the Urban Institute For Contemporary Arts, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We've been at it for over 10 years, and are one of the most published groups in the state.

Our member's output is greatly varied - genre & literary fiction, poetry, non-fiction of all stripes, essays, children's books, playwrights and script-writers in just about every genre imaginable.

Ghost Of The House

A ghost in the house, or a house's ghost? In the end, there may be no difference.

Monster Holiday - Donna Munro

The lives of monsters are not as simple as you might think.

Prayer for a Timely Frost - Gregory Dunn

Here is a fine meditation on how the terrors of Halloween and the celebration of the harvest are intertwined - especially if you see the mechanisms behind a longer cycle.

Halloween Afternoon - Nathan TerMolen

Children understand the true nature of Halloween, whether they want to or not.

Sprinkles The Clown Says Happy Halloween - Paul Robinson

From Wikipedia: Coulrophobia is the abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. It is common among children, but is also sometimes found in teenagers and adults as well.

And as this ghastly Halloween tale illustrates, abnormal fears can definitely be taken too far.


Haunted - Dawn Schout

Restless spirits are not always ghosts - sometimes they're numbered among the living.

Halloween - Roger Meyer

 Trick or treating can lead to unforeseen encounters...

Cornucopia - Patrick Cook

A lighter look at the magic of the season, and the lessons learned from an old golf bag.

Once Upon A Time On Halloween - Steve Beckwith

Halloween is a time for scary stories. Hopefully, though, there's a difference between make-believe and your own life.

Halloween Head - Paul Robinson

Everyone loves a good Halloween party. But what if you're not on the guest list? And you've been away for a very long time?

A Memory Of Smoke - Steve Beckwith

From past Halloweens come memories that could only be formed by autumn leaves and bright sparks, and something else - something harder to define.
Copyrights to all original stories and art are held by their authors as noted; used here with permission.