John Young discussing and signing Fire in the Field, and Other Stories

Thursday, October 28, 2021 - 7:00pm
2692 Madison Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45208

John Young discussing and signing Fire in the Field, and Other Stories

Thursday, October 28 at 7pm

Location: Joseph-Beth Rookwood

Join us for John Young discussing and signing Fire in the Field and Other Stories.

In sixteen apparently simple stories, John Young's memorable characters ask (or refuse to ask) what shapes us. Education? Talent? Impulse? Family? Money? Need for approval? Most of the stories are set in small-town Indiana, with a handful coming from New England villages. All are sensitively written, careful, and real.

The impulse to cheat (embellish) shows up early in the collection, as an antique dealer teaches himself to craft high-quality fakes. It reaches a fever pitch and crashes in the next tale, when an ambitious minister in an affluent community pays more attention to his neighbor's wife and pumpkins than to the living he's inherited. Young's protagonists range from observant nine-year-olds to hyper-competitive teens, from working class dreamers (and drinkers) to privileged executives defending the compromises they've made. A few face public humiliation; a few others die. In two of the strongest stories, young women face painful life-and-death decisions, and the conclusions are uncertain. In most, there's an ethical dilemma, skillfully and subtly plotted so that we readers come away energized, appreciating "the oxymorons of life."

When he was eight, John Young told his mother he wanted to be a scientist or a clown. So he went into advertising and figured he got pretty close. He graduated from Indiana University and earned an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. Now he lives with his wife and two kids in Cincinnati, Ohio. His first novel, When the Coin Is in the Air, was published in 2019.

Fire in the Field and Other Stories By John Young Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781952232565
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Golden Antelope Press - June 15th, 2021

When the Coin is in the Air By John Young Cover Image
$19.95
ISBN: 9781936135707
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Golden Antelope Press - August 12th, 2019