BY SCOTT RUSSELL SANDERS
The three short stories you are about to read were written by Scott Russell Sanders, distinguished professor emeritus of English at Indiana University and the author of 20 books of fiction and nonfiction. The stories, published for the first time here, feature the family of one ordinary citizen named Gordon Milk.
“I have been writing stories about the bearish, boorish, unflappable Gordon Milk and his family now and again for some years, whenever I’ve needed to play hooky from more solemn subjects,” explains Sanders. “Set in an unnamed city tucked away in the hills of southern Indiana, where the laws of nature yield to the force of imagination, the stories reflect my love of folk tales.”
These three tales, and others, have provided the narrative for a stage show entitled Miracles, Myths, Lyrics & Lies, featuring songs written and performed by Carrie Newcomer and Krista Detor. The show also includes humorous and poignant tales told by Philip Gulley.
A previous collaboration, Wilderness Plots, based on Sanders’ book by the same name and starring Sanders, Newcomer, Detor, and singer/songwriters Tim Grimm, Michael White, and Tom Roznowski, toured broadly to critical acclaim.
Having seen the first performance of Miracles, Myths, Lyrics & Lies, I believe it will achieve similar success. I hope you enjoy these stories.
—the editor
