Ploughshares Summer 2016 Guest-Edited by Claire Messud & James Wood

Oh Ploughshares. I am not sure how much I can really explain how much this subscription enriches my life, but every opportunity I get, I try to mention this to other reading enthusiasts. This year is Ploughshares' 45th Anniversary year and I'm so happy for the influence it brings to short fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  You can link directly to their site here.

The Summer 2016 Edition was edited by Claire Messud and James Wood and at 155 pages, without any poetry, must be the shortest edition I've ever received. However, the editors explain in their introduction, the focus of this edition was to shown "an internationalism of voice and material, to suit a reality that is at once local and increasingly global and complex." This edition delivers on that goal perfectly. 

The second story in the collection, and an incredibly short one, Telling Stories about One's Life by Peter Bichsel explores the theme of important stories in our life sometimes not being particularly compelling - that there are moments in life that are of great importance and formative change, but ultimately don't make for good story telling. The funny thing is, as short as it is, the story is really boring - and it's about boring stories. So this is a win on a meta level.

The Ghost's Preface by Kamel Daoud is about a ghost writer who attempts to write a book the way he wants to write it, instead of the way the subject is telling it and the conflict that arises when he attempts to assert his own identity in the story. In the end, the subject dies shortly after burning the entire manuscript so neither story is told. But the ghost writer realizes that the story was never unique in the first place, that millions of copies exist out in the world and a reader could find a copy anywhere they looked. 

My favorite story in the edition has to be The Testimonie of Alyss Teeg by Carys Davies. The story is written in dialect that is at first distracting, taking concentration to fully comprehend, but somewhere mid-story - a tale told from the perspective of a younger sister about her non-gender conforming brother, and the shocking lengths the family goes to in order to "correct" his behavior - I was so startled by where the story was going, and so heartbroken for the characters, it was as if the dialect was clearing on the page and my mind rapidly consumed the words in order to get to the end. The pace quickened and my breathing altered. The story had that much of a physical effect on me and for that I absolutely adored it. 

Viet Dinh's story Lucky Dragon, about a fishing vessel that sails too close to a nuclear test site explores the transformation that overcomes the crew. It takes a plausible event and continues into a realm of imaginary consequences that I found odd but also delightful. 

Hollow Object by Amity Gaige explores the disconnect between a mother and her daughter and the lifestyles they choose to lead. When her daughter becomes sick, the mother Beth explores their relationship and the choices her daughter has made to that moment. She tries to connect with her daughter in numerous ways and is never fully capable. 

Georgi Gospodinov's Sonning a Father was a sad and beautiful tale of an orphan attempting to "Son a Father" much like someone would "Father a son" by forcing a relationship with objects. It's a sad look at the lengths someone would go to for comfort and guidance. 

Here is Where by Cate Kennedy follows Jim Carlyle as he looks back on an old friendship with friends who have gone while he himself experiences a stroke. He feels disassociated from his present time and place, an effect of the stroke, but also an effect of time.

Lastly, Hotel Majestic by Melissa Pritchard follows Ora Fitz as she visits Rome on holiday, two years after the death of a beloved husband. Ora flits between grief for her dead husband and an awakening of sensuality and desire while in Rome. It's a wonderful portrait of the notions and expectations society has of a widow and I appreciated the idea that women, at any age and stage of life, can still be passionate and sexual. 

I enjoyed so many of the stories in this edition. Another solid Ploughshares offering.

5/5 Stars.