This Side of the Divide

Stories of the American West

From Baobab Press, in coordination with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, comes This Side of the Divide: Stories, the first anthology in a literary series attempting to capture the newness, vastness, territoriality and sense of transience alive in the American West.  Set west of the Continental Divide, these narratives skillfully demonstrate the beauty, austerity, and danger of the untouched wilderness, delight in the mutual ease and asphyxiation of the hyper-urban and chart the interstitial spaces of the developing and the abandoned. Inhabiting the West’s richly varied landscapes, the characters in these stories provide a glimpse of the social and cultural diversity on display in these regions. Among these 15 stories, gathered from rising literary voices, a single mother struggles to maintain her individuality while raising an autistic son; a cathartic hike brings an unsuspecting widow face-to-face with her own mortality; a man injured in a train wreck questions his existence as he blindly wanders the desert; an aging cowboy rides the highways astride his magnificent horse, a final remnant of a fleeting era; Sasquatch looks for love in all the wrong places; and a divorcee tries to reconcile her present with her past, her heart with her head. Positioning the voices of emerging authors alongside acclaimed writers such as Tobias Wolff, Brian Evenson and Nona Caspers, these collected stories, at turns hilarious, frightening, and devastating, showcase the variety of identity, amalgam of voice and depth of character that make the American West such a truly brilliant, literary mosaic. Contributors include Tobias Wolff, Maile Meloy, Brian Evenson, Melinda Moustakis, Nona Caspers, Douglas W. Milliken, David Gillette, Miranda Schmidt, Michelle Willms, Andrea Lani, Leah Griesmann, Vanessa Hua, Cathy Warner, Mark Maynard, Aharon Levy, Sian Griffiths, L.L. Madrid, Kirk Wilson, Ashley Davidson, Carl Beideman, E.G. Willy, Shelley Blanton-Stroud, and Linda Lenhoff, with a foreword by Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Battleborn and Gold Fame Citrus.

The University of Nevada, Reno, MFA program in creative writing has played an essential role in developing this anthology. We are deeply grateful for the contributions of each of the UNR MFA students: Matthew Baker, Raluca Balasa, Casey Bell, Rachel Chimits, Linzy Garcia, Molly Gutman, Isabelle Lang, Danielle Mayabb, Scott McFadden, Logan Seidl, Olivia Soule, Natalie Turley, Laura Valenza, Michelle Wait, as well as the Non-MFA student volunteers, Zachary Campbell, Rachel Sosh, and Peter Zikos. This Side of the Divide is especially indebted to Christina Camarena, who managed MFA operations and involvement in the creation of this compilation.

Christopher Coake, director of UNR’s MFA in creative writing program, mentored the students and provided Baobab Press with valuable insights and contacts in the literary community. The vast knowledge, exquisite taste, and endless energy and patience that have made him such a valued member of UNR’s faculty also made him an essential member of the editorial team. We thank him for his generous participation in this project.

Contents

Foreword
– Claire Vaye Watkins

A Thirteenth Apostle’s Star
– Douglas W. Milliken

and drop
– David Gillette

Aquarium
– Miranda Schmidt

The Casita on Flower Street
– L.L. Madrid

Confluence
– Andrea Lani

Desert Rats
– Leah Griesmann

The Fifth Season
– Nona Caspers

The Goat’s Eye
– Kirk Wilson

Graham Greene
– Percival Everett

Harte Lake
– Vanessa Hua

Impressions of a Family
– Cathy Warner

The Intricacies of Post-Shooting Etiquette
– Brian Evenson

Kite Whistler Aquamarine
– Maile Meloy

Last Call at the Smokestack Club
– Mark Maynard

Miners and Trappers
– Melinda Moustakis

Old Car
– Michelle Willms

Sasquatch Seeks a Mate
– Aharon Levy

Sk8r
– Siân Griffiths

That Room
– Tobias Wolff

Thirst
– Ashley Davidson

Upstream Vertigo
– C.R. Beideman

Wagli Yelo
– E.G. Willy

West of the Known
– Chanelle Benz

You Owe Me
– Shelley Blanton-Stroud

Your Call Is Important
– Linda Lenhoff

Book Details

Title: This Side of the Divide: Stories of the American West

Introduction: Claire Vaye Watkins

Authors: Chanelle Benz, Nona Caspers, Brian Evenson, Percival Everett, Vanessa Hua, Maile Meloy, Melinda Moustakis, Tobias Wolff and others

Publication Date: February 12, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-936097-24-1

$19.95

Dist. by Publishers Group West
www.pgw.com, 800-788-2123

Available at your favorite local bookstore, on Indiebound.com, or from Baobab Press affiliate  Sundance Books and Music