Fray

Fray’s first book, Busted! True Stories of Getting Caught in the Act, is now shipping! You can check out a few stories here, because we like the cut of your jib.

Fray is about true, personal stories and original art. We publish a themed book four times a year.

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Hosing Down the Prostitutes

Story by Marc Cram

She wasn’t cranked up on angel dust and probably wouldn’t try to shank us. Seemed like a perfect way to start the night.

Ropeswing Season

Story by Kirk Read

I was 17 years old, taking a shower with my boyfriend in rural Virginia. Life was good.

The Preacher and the Heretic

Story by Lance Arthur

Jesus wasn’t in my heart. He wasn’t in any of my organs. Not even in my pancreas just a little bit.

The Swordfish

Story by Jack Boulware

“You’re never going to get that through customs,” he says. This is a challenge I accept.

Elementary School Confessions

Story by Heather Gold

Joanne had only two strengths that I didn’t: social intelligence and breasts.

How I Blew It in the ’80s

Story by Bucky Sinister

I remember lying in the dark, coming down, thinking my heart was going to explode.

Busted in Jena

Photo Essay by Michael David Murphy

It was as if the story of the Jena Six, of these black youths who had allegedly beaten Justin Barker, had turned into a story about itself.

Buzz-Kill

Story by Evany Thomas

You learn some amazing things about people when you move their stuff.

Busting the Busters

Interview by Derek Powazek

Barry Cooper spent his life busting people for drugs and teaching cops to do the same. Now he teaches stoners how to avoid it.

Ugly in Norwalk

Story by Joe Loya

My rearview mirror showed deputies, kneeling behind their patrol car doors, guns aimed at me. Like Hollywood would do it.

Hobo Balls

Story by Eric Spitznagel

The damage was done. I had demonstrated, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was a man unable to hold his liquor.

Going Under

Interview by Leah Peterson

I’ve always wondered how undercover cops work. I don’t think I could do it. I wanted to talk to someone that could.

AND MORE: This issue also includes a profile of a compulsive shoplifter, a swordfish head in an overhead compartment, and naked rope swinging. All true.

ABOUT THE BOOK: It’s 6.5 inches wide and 9 inches tall. It’s made of high quality, mostly recycled materials, and printed by smart people who care about the environment. It’s a paperback, but incredibly well-bound, so it’ll last. It comes in a very cool bag. It's 96 pages and contain dozens of stories and artworks. You totally want one.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Kevin Cornell for painting the amazing red hand you see on the cover and all over our site, Chris Bishop for rustling up all the illustrations, Magdalen Powers for expertly copyediting the issue, Joshua Bryant for coding the html/css loveliness that’s displayed in your browser right now, and everyone who submitted to the book!