Wednesday, August 25, 2021

SS Wednesday Life Sentences, Keith Taylor


Keith Taylor was Megan's first creative writing instructor at University of Michigan and a kinder more encouraging teacher would be hard to find. He has written many collections of poetry and a few of short stories. These are very short stories that often are little more than a snatch of life. It is the writing that makes them little jewels. You have to think about them a lot to get the point, but sometimes there is none. So you just enjoy the setting or the character or the atmosphere and relax. 

For instance, in "So Far North" a friend goes to visit a dying man in New Orleans. Taking a break from the hospital setting, he drives into the country and communes with birds. A cop stops, thinks him up to no good, but has no proof of it and ends their conversation with the comment, "And leave our goddam birds alone, hear?" Many of the stories deal with nature or with the people who inhabit the places Taylor visits or lives in. These stories will probably please most those who love poetry. "The War on the Bats" will please those who like more action. Something for every taste in this tiny book. 

Kevin Tipple

TracyK 

George Kelley 

Jerry House 

Todd Mason

8 comments:

Margot Kinberg said...

What a lovely connection between him and your family, Patti. I have to admit I'm not familiar with his work, but it sounds excellent.

George said...

I'll have to give Keith Taylor a try!

Jeff Meyerson said...

I don't know him either. Sounds good.

Still on the way home from the city - we stayed at a Marriott in Chelsea after the concert. I finished the Dino Buzzati book - as is not unusual, some of the stories reached me a lot more than others - and I've started the last Antonya Nelson collection and a collection of Brian Garfield's crime stories. I already read his collection of spy stories.

Rick Robinson said...

Sorry, nothing this week.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I have CATASTROPHE out from the library, Jeff. Hoping to get to it. Glad you got out.
Hoping you find your way back to books, Rick. Maybe the Kruger will do it.

TracyK said...

Sounds like some stories I would like to try, Patti.

Todd Mason said...

My Keith Taylor co-edited and KT-story-included review of some months back:

Short Story Wednesday: Margaret St. Clair, Ed Gorman, Fritz Leiber, Robert Bloch, Manly Wade Wellman, Ambrose Bierce, Zona Gale, Elizabeth Kostova, Eileen Pollack, Nicholas Delbanco, Laura Kasischke, Keith Taylor: GHOSTS OF THE HEARTLAND edited by Frank McSherry, M. H. Greenberg & Charles Waugh (Rutledge Hill Press 1990); GHOST WRITERS edited by Laura Kasischke and Keith Taylor (Wayne State University Press 2011)

https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2020/12/short-story-wednesday-margaret-st-clair.html

My new one is, of course, running late. Sports fiction, no less.

Todd Mason said...

Mine's up! And it's still Wed!

https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2021/08/william-campbell-gault-jack-ritchie.html