New West Fiction

Our Weekend Fiction Series Continues in May

By Russell Rowland, 5-06-11

	Illustration by Patrick Gill.

The beginning of a new month gives us the chance to introduce a new batch of fine fiction from all over the West.

This month we feature an interesting variety of stories, starting with “The New Sister,” by acclaimed New Mexico novelist Lynn Stegner. Stegner, who won the 2007 Faulkner Award for her novel Because a Fire Was in My Head, takes us into the unsettling experience of Louisa Parker, an eight-year-old girl who has just found out that she has a step-sister, thanks to her father ‘stubbing his toe’ (her mother’s explanation) nine years ago. As hard as Louisa tries to adjust to this disruption in her family, the intrusion of this young girl becomes a catalyst for an unfortunate act. Stegner resolves this story brilliantly with a meeting between the two as young women.

The second story we’ll feature this month is by David Kranes, who is an accomplished Utah playwright as well as a fine fiction writer. Kranes starts his story with the age-old line “Man Walks into a Bar” (also the title), and from there spins a fascinating tale of overnight success for Scott Elias, a frustrated painter who suddenly finds himself starring in a major motion picture. Kranes presents an insightful exploration of the perils and challenges of success as Scott tries to retain his friendship with his roommate while hobnobbing with Brad Pitt and Hilary Swank.

Our third feature is by an unpublished Colorado writer named Rob Guthrie, who impressed me mightily with the opening chapter of his novel “Dark Prairies.” Guthrie takes on the myths of Western men directly when Sheriff James Pruett finds out that his wife has been murdered, possibly by her own brother. Pruett’s efforts to sustain the strong independent cowboy don’t fare well as he contemplates how powerless he has been to stop this tragedy, and Guthrie writes beautifully about the power of this man’s grief with such lines as ‘Pruett occupied a world now where all the songbirds had flown and only carrion remained.’

Our fourth piece of fiction for May is called “Catch and Release,” by Sheila Banning, and it’s something of an echo of one of my all-time favorite books by a writer from the West, A River Runs Through It. This story weaves the fishing metaphor very nicely into the relationship between a mother and her son as his time to leave for college fast approaches. Banning utilizes past fishing expeditions with her son Nate to show how the act of letting go starts early in the process of parenting, but never becomes any easier.

If you’d like to be part of the growing fiction family here at New West, we are now welcoming submissions for the month of June. Although we will consider stories from all over, we would prefer those that focus on the Rocky Mountain West. Please submit by May 25 to be considered for June.

Also bear in mind that I will be submitting the top selections from our publication for the Best of the Web nominations in September. So submit soon!

Russell Rowland is serving as New West’s fiction editor.

Interested in submitting a short story to New West? Check out our Submishmash page.

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