Ryan Stone

BOOK LAUNCH - BEST ROAD YET, OCTOBER 19, 2010

Ryan Stone Signs Book Contract

 Reading Event at the Danville Public Library on October 29, 2009 at 7 P.M. 2009 Press 53 Open Awards, Short Story Category.

Pictures from the reading:

"The Same as Everywhere Else," by Ryan Stone, is my favorite short story in the issue. Tim, a grad student whose girlfriend Laura has left him, is traveling through Europe with his congenial friend Harris. When the story opens, they're in Santiago, hoping to get to the mountains and away from the heat. En route to San Sebastian, they stop off in Vitoria to see a former fraternity buddy of Harris's named Cayle, who is teaching there. Cayle calls up some girls, and the three guys have some whiskey while they wait. One of the girls, Kiki, whose eyes are "green dots in her head," asks Tim how many times he's moved. He says ten. She says, "Including this one?" He explains that this isn't a move, but a visit. She says, "We'll see."

The narrative is simple and direct, and the first-person character of Tim is crisply realized ("I was confused. I looked it." That sums him up perfectly.) The rest of the story captures Tim's growing sense of nihilism, yet is never depressing. As it's the last piece in WIM, I'd recommend reading the issue backwards.

--from Vince Corvaia's review of Whiskey Island Magazine 2008 in The Review Review. Read the entire review here.