Stories (Within)

The tradition of a story framed by another story traces back before recorded history. The snake has been eating its own tail for at least 7000 years. This anthology is radically new but depends on something so ancient it may be intrinsically human. Authors wrote varied pieces-contemporary, historical, futuristic, fantastical-in which a character tells a story--but the authors did not know what the story within would be! The question underlying the exercise is straightforward: Are stories so fundamental to our humanity that any story can serve as both a frame around, and an illustration within, any other? Thanks to the talent of these skilled storytellers, the result is a marvelous series of matryoshka dolls which nest inside one another, proof that experimental fiction can be fun to read, and that we exist encircled by narrative.

Benjamin Gorman is an award-winning high school English teacher, political activist, author, poet, and co-publisher at Not a Pipe Publishing. He lives in Independence, Oregon, with bibliophile and guillotine aficionado Chrystal, his favorite son, Noah, and his dog, E.V. (External Validation). His novels are The Sum of Our Gods, Corporate High School, The Digital Storm, and Don't Read This Book. He's also the author of two books of poetry: When She Leaves Me and This Uneven Universe. He believes in his students and the future they'll create if given the chance.

Mark Teppo divides his time between Portland and Sumner, and he tends to navigate by local bookstore positioning. He writes historical fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror, and has published more than a dozen novels. If he's writing a mystery, he's pretending to be Harry Bryant. He also runs Underland Press, an independent publishing house. You can learn more about him at www.markteppo.com, or follow him on Twitter (@markteppo) or Instagram (@mark.teppo).

Rick M. Cook: When he's not writing his debut novel, The Devil's Bridge, he is working on one real-life science fiction project after another. He writes and teaches software to help top aerospace and automotive designers around the world wire their vehicles: futuristic all-electric airplanes to airplane seats and control modules to Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters to wiring for the advancement of human knowledge with satellites and space telescopes. Rick has been writing software since he was fifteen and telling stories even longer to entertain himself and friends. A Dungeons & Dragons game exposed his teenage mind to the world of imaginative storytelling, sparking his creativity every day since. He enjoys reading books of history, science fiction/fact, fantasy, thrillers, and has enough Wikipedia tabs open to support a small invading alien army's intel. He lives in Beaverton, Oregon, along with his wife and two bundles of fun masquerading as dogs. Find him at https: //linktr.ee/RickMCook.