Short Fiction
My stories are literary fiction. They are firmly grounded in realism and strongly connected to place. The settings, however, are without names, the landscapes familiar yet strange: a town where all things are covered in a fine red dust, a farm at the edge of a marsh in an area known for the thinness of its light, its inhabitants laboring under vague and contradictory rumors of war.
The writing style overall is lyrical. The stories employ humor, elements of magical realism, and at times a warping of the terrain echoing Kafka. Running through is a theme of awakening. As in some of Raymond Carver’s work, the characters populating these stories have come up against something bewildering and ominous. The routines of their lives are laid open. There is a compelling beauty as well as terror in such moments, bringing us right to the edge of what it means to be alive.
Where to Find My Stories
“Under the North,” in Blackbird, volume 18, number 2, Fall 2019
“Eva,” in Prick of the Spindle, issue 10, Spring/Summer, 2016
“The Song of a Particular Bird,” in Sonora Review, issue 68, 2015
“Pisuwin,” in Ascent, January 20, 2013, https://readthebestwriting.com/pisuwin-robert-froese/
“The Canning Plant,” in The Catch, issue 1, 2013
A Sample Story