Hello. I’m happy to report that the latest issue of the Arkansas Review has arrived at better bookstores and libraries everywhere.

The issue contains a new short story of mine called “Timber Walking.” It also contains–among much else worth investigating–a story called “Selling the Farm” by Sallie Bingham and an essay by Andrew Scheiber about the boll weevil and its place in pop music.

“Timber Walking” is about a teenager who plays baseball and who’s gotten a job splitting trees for firewood. I call it my Hemingway-in-the-woods story, though there aren’t any guns, or animals, and nothing actually gets hunted. Perhaps it’s not like Hemingway at all? Ah well. So much for self-classification.

Here’s how “Timber Walking” begins:

Timber Walking

“The splitter—sucks for you,” said Tubbel.

“You on delivery still?” asked Peter.

“You know it,” Tubbel said, spitting out chewed-up halves of sunflower seeds. They caught in the wind, flew, and then crashed onto his jacket sleeve.

“You know,” said Tubbel, “I just don’t know what’s this got to do with baseball.”

Peter heard his father calling his name from their splitter. He stepped down off the log with a heavy adolescent sigh, positioned his baseball hat just so, and walked back to work.

***

It continues on from there and I promise it gets much more interesting. Please find it in the Summer/August issue of the Arkansas Review, volume 40, no. 2.