The short stories linked to this page proceed from most recent. Thank you for taking the time to read.
The short story Hey, Have You Seen My Face? (2023) follows Dr. James McCabe, a middle aged professor of English, as he is confronted by and then confronts the ghost of his abusive and neglectful father.
The short story All the While (2022) depicts the three Sullivan men on their last “annual family backpack trip.” Steven, the youngest of two sons, is ecstatic about the trip. He never questioned and once wrote a college essay regarding how happy was his family life. By the end of the trip Steven’s happy recollections come into question.
The short story Ken: Keeping Still/Mountain (2021) is a tribute, in memoriam, to my brother who was hit by a car and killed while crossing a street in his wheelchair. My brother’s name was Ken, which is also the name of the 52nd hexagram (Keeping Still/Mountain) in the I Ching (see, Richard Wilhelm Translation, Princeton University Press). The story follows Ken during his last day and shares the difficulties he faced getting through life as a homeless, alcoholic, and disabled man in a wheelchair. After his passing, I travelled to Ken’s various haunts to interview acquaintances as well as the staff at the homeless shelter where he spent his final days. What I discovered, along with his obstinance, was a powerful will that became for me worthy of respect and redemption.
The short story Yardmaster (2020) follows Larry Johnson who, upon entering his sixth decade of life, decides to retire early from his crappy job. He also can’t stand the urban decay that now surrounds the duplex he and Gladys bought thirty years ago when they started their family. The Johnsons pack up and move to their Promised Land of outer suburban tract homes where things go from bad to worse.
The short story The Talented Mrs. Wiltmore (2020) depicts a petty tyrant named Judith Wiltmore who is driven by her baser instincts and impulses. She constantly gets into trouble, but as her mother knows all too well, “That girl sure has a talent for get’n out of the trouble she’s in.” Judith’s talent is age old, as she bears false witness and implicates others for her wrongdoing.
The short story I Bought a Little College (2019) is dedicated to the memory of Donald Barthelme. It is derived from his story titled, “I Bought a Little City.” I apologize to his readers. The story’s protagonist comes into money just as the local community college goes up for sale. On a whim he buys the college and starts making changes. It is a satire regarding the decay in higher education that I witnessed throughout my 30 years as a lecturer in community colleges.