Fall
- Winter 2003-04
Most of these short stories were published in
the short story collection, "A Memoir of Absence," by Frederic Colier,
Luminous Press, March 07.
"A Memoir of Absence"
"Cristianos y Moros"
Spring - Summer 2002
"The Depth of
Swimming Pools" captures
a middle-aged couple at the point of rupture. Jeannine suspects her husband,
Simon, to hide something from her. She is not quite sure what, but she is
determined to force the truth out of him. Through their interaction,
Jeannine and Simon offer a devastating testimony of guilt.
"Corduroy Pie,"
Fall - Winter, 2001-02
"Postcards and
Slippers,"
is the tale of Stanley
Clearwater, a retiree who escapes a restraining nursing home where his daughter has
confined him to go back to his home where she now lives. He wants to make sure that the home is
ready for his son’s homecoming. The journey
back home becomes a journey of discoveries, where even home becomes a questionable
assumption.
"Green Coats," describes a young sailor's tragic hardships, who refuses to work
after overhearing
the ship's skipper talking about the boy's mother in disrespecful terms.
"Lipstick on a
Fishbowl"is a tale of grief— a man coming to
terms with his wife’s death. Gerry Carlsen has spent the last four months alone,
locked up in his apartment, grieving. Forced by financial pressure to go back out into the world, he
runs full of hope to a job interview that turned into a nightmare.
"Josephina," depicts the ordeals of a famous and obese opera singer who searches
for love. While Josephina is adulated by her public, her own peers pay no attention to
her. In the throes of despair, she seeks human contact in the company of Harry Troma, an
abusive alcoholic, who has been trying to make contact with her. Their
meeting, however, leads to new discoveries.