Sophie Goldstein

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2024

Stories (23)

23 Stories

458 karma pts

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“Underneath Fernando” by Sophie Goldstein

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #256

Ricardo followed Jorge reluctantly up the stairs to their section of the stands. Jorge turned to Ricardo, saw the expression on his face and rolled his eyes. “Why did you say yes to this if that’s how you’re going to look?” Jorge asked. “For the free booze and hot dogs,” Ricardo responded dryly. Jorge shook his head but said nothing. They got to their seats and Ricardo looked out at the field. Night games were admittedly somewhat magical. He didn’t know why, but it felt otherworldly. Like the teams and the crowd were momentarily thrust into ...

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“A Small Relief” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #255

Lalo woke with an overwhelming throbbing in his head.He pushed the tequila bottle lying next to him off the bed and proceeded to cut his feet on the broken glass below.Limping to the bathroom, he waded through more tequila bottles on the floor, bags of chips, remnants of fast food, donuts.He cleaned his bloody feet, wishing it hurt more.So, he could feel something else than what he felt now.He stared at his reflection.She wouldn’t like this, he thought.“She wouldn’t like this at all,” he said aloud.“No, I wouldn’t,” came the imagined reply.“...

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“Not Handsome Enough to Tempt Me” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #254

In one minute, Marianne could shut down her computer and begin getting ready for the event of her life. The event she had been waiting years for. The event where she just knew that everything was going to change, because how could it not? Not Handsome Enough To Tempt Me had been in the works three years ago but something had always gone wrong. Weather conditions, venue cancellations, Covid. There seemed to always be an obstacle in the way of her happiness. And not just her happiness, she knew. But the happiness of every Jane Austen fanatic i...

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“The Moments We Keep” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #253

Sol sat on one of the benches in front of her school, waiting for her mom to pick her up. It was 1pm. They’d had a half-day since the teachers had a conference from 2-6pm. Sol should’ve been happy. She loved half days for obvious reasons. But school, as short as it was, had been absolutely lousy. She spilled juice on her skirt before leaving the house and didn’t have time to change and her arch nemesis, Billy, had taken the opportunity to point it out every chance he got. “Look everyone! Sol pissed herself!” Sol of course got angry and denie...

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“A Resurfacing” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #252

Now:Miriam loved Sundays. It was the one day a week that was just for her. She’d get up around 9am, go for a run, have coffee at her favorite cafe, and then go to the nearby park and read for several hours. Today she was reading Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient. Sprawled on the blanket she brought, she lost herself in the creepy thriller, stopping occasionally to look up at the others in the park. Couples having a picnic, children on the swings, teenagers playing basketball. She smiled and was about to go back to reading when she noticed ...

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“When Books Became Legend” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #251

Alejandro looked up at the stone building and shivered. He hated the bars against the windows, the bars in front of the doors, the electric barbed wire- all tools to keep people caged. He hated it. But he needed a job, and the prison was hiring and after months and months of rejections, he had no choice.There was very little opportunity these days. Businesses everywhere were suffering and closing and there didn’t seem to be much of anything around. Restaurants were few and far between except for the occasional fast-food joint and those jobs ...

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“Making the Broken Pieces Fit Together” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #250

Poncho sat, crisscrossed applesauce, on the carpet, slamming two toy trucks against one another repeatedly. He had been doing this for hours without getting bored. He liked the sound they made. He liked the anticipation of the moment of impact. He wondered how long it would take before one or both broke. He didn’t want it to happen, but he was surprised it hadn’t and was curious if it might. He enjoyed breaking things and seeing if he could put them back together. He noticed that this did not make his dad very happy, but he couldn’t help him...

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“Murphy's Law” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #249

Nayeli usually loved the bustle of Downtown LA in the morning. It was frantic, panicked; packed with pedestrians and cars, fighting for the privilege of moving first. The air was filled with the smell of coffee, eggs, hot dogs from the night before, and yes, piss and shit. She loved hearing the hodgepodge of languages as people passed: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Italian, Arabic. She adored her city and its moments of occasional chaos. But not today. Today, of all days, she had slept through her alarm, which she never did and was racing again...

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Author bio

Sophie Goldstein is a Jewish Chicana from Los Angeles, California. She received her BA from CSULA and her MFA from the Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. In Los Angeles, she’s directed and choreographed with 2Cents, LeoRising, Premiere the Play, East Side Queer Stories, MeetCute Festival, New Play Project, and CSULA. She’s taught classes in Viewpoints, Commedia Dell’Arte, Voice, and Acting at A Noise Within, Plaza De La Raza, and CSULA. Her written work has been seen at the Frida Kahlo 10-Minute festival, Son of Semele’s festivals, Anchor Magazine, LAFPI's 2024 MicroReads, Honorable Mention for the WOW! Women Writing Winter Flash Fiction 2024 contest, and she was a 2021 Ya Tu Sabes Writer Finalist for a competition produced by Nosotros, an organization created by Ricardo Montalbán designed to help emerging Latine talent.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #256

Underneath Fernando – read story