I’m back in an Electric Literature phase. In a bad way actually. I discovered this site not too long ago, when I started back to grad school. The sites available now for creative writing are so much better than when I was an undergrad English major.
I love the site name, too. It speaks to me.
Yesterday, I read Driving Through Pennsylvania by Mack Gelber.
We’ve been driving through Pennsylvania for almost two months. People give us stunned looks when we tell them: “How long?” When they ask what brings us through, we tell them we’re traveling children’s entertainers, or we’re land surveyors scoping out sites for a new mall, or we’re searching for our troubled niece Paula, she’s been missing since December, have you seen her? Sometimes they offer to buy us vodka sodas, flagging down the kid slinging drinks at the Best Western Plus.
Short stories come in all shapes and sizes. This one has such a distinctive voice. It’s what I really liked about the story. Also, what’s in the trunk? I think I get it, but I’m not entirely sure. That feeling, persisting all the way to the ending, is what makes this story memorable. It’s a story that is somehow of the present day and literary. It’s one time where not being able to put down my phone was a good thing. I was lost in this story. Highly recommend!