Pop's Gas: Official short story release

Writers—both professional and devoted hobbyists—have a knack for finding inspiration everywhere. Writers block is a myth, but this does not mean that there are not those times when we need to find a little something for inspiration.

 

My dad is a professional musician. Growing up, I spent many summers away from home—on the road, exploring different parts of the country and eccentric small towns. I was always enamored with small town life, especially in the deserts. I grew up (and still live) in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, so, desert dwellers and desert towns always held a special fascination for me.

 

Elizabeth Bishop captured this curiosity with her spectacular poem, “Filling Station.”  This poem, which describes a small town gas station with serves also as the home for a family. This poem inspired my own poem, “Getting Gas in Barstow, California” which was later published in my debut poetry collection. I decide, “What would happen if I took Bishop’s idea and gave a face to the narrator and to one of the gas station dwellers.” Later, when I was seeking inspiration for a short story, I expanded the idea of the poem. “What would happen if a spoiled rich kid on his way to Vegas, stopped at one of these small town gas stations? What would happen when these two divergent cultures clashed?” What transpired was my short story, “Pop’s Gas.”

 

One year and several revisions later, Pop’s Gas (dedicated to Elizabeth Bishop) has a home. It is currently online at: Scars.tv. It will also appear in Volume 126 (released 12/1/14) of Down in the Dirt Magazine and may also appear in an anthology towards the end of this year, all under the umbrella of Scars publishing. Stop by and have a look. They’re good people and they’ve been discovering new writers for a long time.

 

Thank you to Janet Kuypers for taking a chance on this quirky little peace. I hope you enjoy the journey. My oft published story, Lime Green Buddha is also available on Scars.