by Will Allison
First published 2009
This collection gathers stories from both veteran and newcomer writers. Aria Beth Sloss sets her piece where dust storms coat baobab trees in red dirt. Scott Nadelson puts readers in a car with Larry, who crashes despite insisting he has everything under control. Miriam Novogrodsky introduces Lila, an elderly woman whose memories unravel like knitting coming apart. Lauren Groff writes about the German occupation and someone named Reynaud. Will Allison discusses his writing process in an interview, explaining how he treats early drafts as sketches rather than finished work. Stephanie Dickinson creates a character who senses when strangers stare. David Allan Cates follows a man through multiple lives as child, soldier, insurance salesman, and father, though he cannot recall the transitions between each phase. Erica Johnson Debeljak examines the risks in both action and inaction. Joshua Canipe describes a preacher who keeps snakes in car cages, their musk and cucumber scent clinging to clothes after church services. Ed Allen sets his story in Europe, where a character notices the softer, more complex pollution compared to other places.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, anthologies, contemporary, 21st-century, short-story-collection
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Europe
Period: German Occupation, World War II
228 pages · Paperback · Glimmer Train Press