Open Line

A roller-coaster ride through mass hysteria, media exploitation, and dirty politics.

Annette Majoris is a late-night Minneapolis radio host with dreams of stardom. Her big personality and gorgeous voice have only gotten her so far and she desperately needs a hook. One slow night, with a caller ranting about the usual things, she decides to take it to the next level—just throw it out there—what if the Vietnam War never happened? What if it was a government-concocted nightmare? Buoyed by third-party hopefuls, aggrieved veterans, and shady political powerbrokers, her outrageous speculations gain legitimacy and virtually overnight Annette is speaking to crowded halls, dining with the governor, and meeting with TV producers. But has she really unmasked the greatest conspiracy in American history or is she just being played for a fool by the powers-that-be?

Ellen Hawley is the author of the novel Trip Sheets, which won a Writer’s Voice Capricorn Award. She has moonlighted as a radio host, driven a cab, taught creative writing, and was the editor of the Loft Literary Center’s magazine for eighteen years. A native New Yorker, she now divides her time between homes in Minnesota and Cornwall.