Something Out There in the Distance

Two lovers go on one final road trip through the American desert, hoping that they can outrun life itself.

Flash-fiction master Grant Faulkner and photographer Gail Butensky have partnered to create this unique narrative made up of stories alongside edge-of-the-world photography. The book tells of two lovers taking a reckless, searching road trip through the American West. Dawn is a photographer who captures desert landscapes. Jonny drives just to drive, running away from the end of time or running toward the end of time, looking for a home even as his restlessness overtakes him. By turns funny, poignant, and heartbreaking, something out there in the distance is big in emotions while brief in words. An extraordinary collaboration between word and image, Dawn and Jonny’s journey transports us to a place, achingly familiar, populated by love, loss, and wonder.

Grant Faulkner is the cofounder of 100 Word Story, the cofounder of the Flash Fiction Institute, and the cohost of the podcast Memoir Nation. He is the author of several books, including The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story (UNM Press) and All the Comfort Sin Can Provide.

Gail Butensky is a renowned photographer whose work has been featured on numerous record covers as well as in books and magazines. She is the author of the photography book Every Bend.