One Story – 2005

Well, issue number 50 decides it. I can’t put off buying a Judy Budnitz collection anymore; her stories are just too good.

Well, issue number 50 decides it. I can’t put off buying a Judy Budnitz collection anymore; her stories are just too good. This one, “Nadia,” is about a depressed teacher who orders a mail-order bride from some small, war-torn country or another. It is told in the sinister first person plural (which I love but rarely see employed) of a group of female friends. Budnitz walks the fine line where the reader isn’t sure if the events are absurd or if they are all too close to life. Issue 49 is another excellent story, this one by Daniel Wallace (Big Fish), called “One Small Man.” It’s the story of a small town that suddenly gets a visit from a short, Japanese man who wants to buy their Native American burial grounds and build a big factory. True to its name, One Story presents these stories in individual pamphlets allowing the reader to view each story as a single work uninfluenced by surrounding stories and poems. I also suspect One Story is obliging their subscribers to read every story they publish – one can’t really skip around reading bits and pieces in a magazine of only one story- but with stories this strong, who can blame them? [One Story, PO Box 1326 New York, NY 10156. E-mail: [email protected]. Subscription only – $21/year/18 issues. www.one-story.com] – Lincoln Michel