Nate Rankin

Nate Rankin (nom de plume Nathaniel Heely) is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Chapman University. His work has previously appeared in Burrow Press Review, decomP, Identity Theory, the Los Angeles Review of Los Angeles, and several others. He is currently working on his first novel.

The Writing Disorder •

Five Questions for Thomas Pynchon

The conspiracy was in. The first reaction from the literary public was one of impending death. Why else would a hermit break silence? For there was no new book coming out, no new tome that might define and brand an adolescent century. Thomas Pynchon was sick. Thomas Pynchon was dying. Finally being sent off to see what was beyond the zero, soul ready to investigate the deep web of religious afterlives. It was even more peculiar whom he had chosen. The young writer/coffee barista
Burrow Press Review •

Roses

Pasadena, California. The Heisman winner stands in the tunnel looking out. He is big for a tailback. Standing 6’1” and a shade over two hundred twenty pounds. His body is an architectural structure. Despite his towering eminence his steps are gentle, humbled. There are rose petals falling in front of his view. Petals even deeper and richer than his jersey. Their texture is like lotion. Glints of setting sunlight catch them as they fall. In the shade the color is dark and secret, but the light t
New Pop Lit •

The Serpent’s Wink

How many stories give a sense of living in history? Our new tale does. Read Nathaniel Heely’s “The Serpent’s Wink,” in which main character Andrew Schulden is caught amid financial manipulations, media noise and street protests– the chaos of the contemporary world. “I’m fucking helping people here.” Matranga’s voice interrupted, “I’m really really trying to at least and,” that was snot, flecked with snowflakes again, now tripping down his lip, “and people—my own goddamn friends—are calling me
decomP magazinE •

On the Afterlife

The existence of the Afterlife was verified by a team of twelve scientists working at CERN after an accident with the Large Hadron Collider caused them to die and meet postmortem in the waiting room of Heaven. They discussed what went wrong, of course, and spent what felt like two hours trying to posit different scenarios of where they had ended up: alternate universes, wormholes, black holes, another dimension. When an attendant came—they called him an angel, he refused any such title—he offere
Hawaii Pacific Review •

Metaxy

“Hey,” he tells you. “Wake up. It’s time for group.” You were dreaming about death though you don’t know just what death is. There’s yellowing spit on the pillow and you reek of Marlboro Reds. Every time you’ve been here they’ve always given you the same room. 109. It is an expected occurrence, your life is full of rhythm; a pendulum between poles. You postulate that they give you the same room because they want you to feel that you are meant to be here; that there is purpose and order even at
Revolver •

Selected Transcripts from the Deposition in the Case of Nathaniel Heely v. Kurt Rosenberg et al.

From the Law Offices of Post, Mott and Urn. Q: State your name for the record. Q: Is that your legal name? Q: Why do you use a pen name? NH: Sometimes you’re just born with the wrong name. I look at my birth certificate and my brow just furrows. I can’t help but think ‘That’s not me.’ Q: Could you state your legal name NH: Given the circumstances is that even necessary? Q: State your name for the record Q: You were born on May 20th. That makes you… nearly five months old. That correct?
Dark Matter Journal •

AndroiX Timeline

Subject Name: (Original Factory) Android Test Series 094. (Consumer) AndroiX Series I Company Name: AndroiX NYSE Symbol: ADX +0 Android Series Model 094 activated and online. Ready for distribution after approval from American Consumer Safety Board (ACSB) A+ rating. Androids resemble a human figure, approximately 1.5m tall, cranial circumference of 50 cm. Human equivalent of spatial awareness and a comprehensive understanding of most spoken languages, though may have trouble with some dialects or accents.
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