The stories in this collection have previously appeared in the following magazines: “The Black Bear Month” in Agni; “The Alaska Girl” in the Beloit Fiction Journal; “Make Me Whole” in the Bennington Review; “Marriage or Wolves” in the Florida Review; “Shapeshifters” in the Greensboro Review; “Fare Forward Voyagers” in Grub Street; “Nomads” in the Literarian; “The Gift of Flight” in Meridian; “The Wolves Again” in Natural Bridge; “I’m Here” in Prairie Schooner; “A Wrong in the World” in the Sycamore Review; and “The Alphabet in Reverse” in Western Humanities Review.
Any book is not just the product of individual effort, but also the work and support of many people. These stories would not exist without the love and care of the following: my wife, Bonnie Whiting, who inspires me with her devotion to art and life; my children, Dylan, Noah, and Beckett, who have given me more joy than I could have ever imagined; my parents, Alfred and Marie Crouse; my sisters, Jane and Karen, and my brother, Michael; and dear friends Stephanie Clare, Laurie Marhoefer, and Hattie. Thank you to Greg Moutafis and Jon Dembling for unwavering friendship lasting decades and long discussions about art stretching from our teenage years until now.
Thank you to Nicole Stellon O’Donnell for support both spiritual and pragmatic, and to Peggy Shumaker, who has supported my work since I was a numbskull student in one of her graduate workshops. Thank you to Madara Mason for the beautiful cover image. Thank you to the staff at Red Hen and, in particular, to Rebeccah Sanhueza, for all the hard work in stewarding this book to publication. Thank you to my colleagues at UW and to my students. Thank you also to those I might not have mentioned, but who have helped me somewhere along the way. Lastly, thank you to Frank Soos, life-changing teacher and good friend, and sweet R.T. I miss you both more than I can say.