Barrett Bowlin is the author of the story collection, Ghosts Caught on Film. His essays and short fiction appear in places like The Best American Mystery & Suspense 2024 anthology, TriQuarterly, Ninth Letter, Barrelhouse, The Fiddlehead, Salt Hill, and The Rumpus. He lives and teaches and rides trains in Massachusetts.
In Japanese martial arts, the uke is the ‘receiver’ of the technique, the one who attempts to attack their sparring partner, the tori. The tori defends against the attack of the uke, who usually winds up on the floor after…