Contemporary Literary - Stories

Everyone who comes out has a different story to tell: with some, it comes with a sudden flash of revelation; with others it may have been a long, slow, sometimes painful process of unwinding internalized constraints. For some, it is a matter of recognizing what they have always enjoyed; for others, it is an entry into entirely new experiences. As college seniors in the mid-70’s, Robert and his best friend Paul come out, each with a different story.

Elisha has struggled mightily and unsuccessfully for years to make peace with his faith and his flesh. It’s a battle Marcus knows all too well. When they are brought together unexpectedly by a mutual four-legged friend, each sees something of themselves in the other which leaves them both uncertain and unsettled on a day destined to impact many lives forever.

Welcome to Philpott Towers! Ten years apart in age, living very different lives, the Phillpott brothers are not close, but their father’s death sees the two returning to share their grandiose family home. Gray Philpott is a successful poet but rather less successful human being, now living with Vince, his solicitor elder brother in their father’s shadow—what could go wrong?

Close proximity forces both brothers to reassess their lives, and the Summer wreaks remarkable changes as the two settle into a new relationship, with both their lives and their emotional lives going in new directions.

A decade after drifting apart, four millennial friends who once bonded online reunite at a secluded cabin, answering an invitation from the friend who always promised they would one day meet. As old memories resurface and new ones take shape, one question lingers:

Where is Chris?

We first met Nate and Danny in The Seventeenth Summer. Best friends forever, but then Danny fell in love a year ago, and left Nate behind.

Nate couldn't blame him; after all, who wouldn't want to escape Thompsonville, but that didn't change his feelings. One year on, it's Nate's turn to escape, but first he needs to see Danny, perhaps for the last time. Can he finally tell his best friends how he really feels? Or is it time to finally spread his own wings and experience life for himself? Or perhaps, life has other things in store for him? The only way to find out, will be to find out what happens in Kandanga Falls.

Adam Walsh is a popular small-town Irish boy who gets paired with the new arrival in town. Ross, however, is a city boy, hailing from London. Being total opposites, they somehow manage to cross paths. What starts as nervous giggles and jittery speech turns into a bond that will forever change both teenagers, as they'll experience something more than friendship. How will the boy's parents, friends, and love for each other come together? Will it either work in their favor or wedge them apart forever?

I thought this trip to a luxury resort with my five rich, straight high school friends after our first year at college was a rare chance to finally be included. Turns out, they had something very different in mind—and I was about to find out just how far they'd go when there were no girls... and no rules.

Bo, a neurotic otter with a deadline and a questionable relationship with his houseplants, sets out to write the perfect Creature Feature.

A short story about a short, one night, encounter. Seventies London, two boys make a rendezvous.

A short story set in Tangiers, circa 1978, a young European encounters a Moroccan of a similar age.