Short Story: Oaks at 21. Americana, but queer. 1850s, upstate NY. An atypical farm with a shady side business. A young woman struggling to find her way, understand her heritage, life, as well as her wants, needs. Rough times, tough people, a desire to belong - mix in forbidden love, discovery, adventure, crushes – and you have Oaks at 21. (Note: Some violence, associated with the times.)Sample from Oaks at 21:I am in my dark room, leaning back in the wooden chair, feet up on the bed, wondering what on earth I am still doing here, when there is a soft knock on the door. I wait for a second knock to be sure it's what I heard, walk my bare feet over, open it a hair. A long dark form slips through. I recognize Hana's scent as she leans close, whispers in my ear, "need help." She is still learning English, often shortens things to the primary words, but I usually know what she means. Finding the human condition and our antics endlessly fascinating, I tend to write 'slice of life' pieces about moments, situations, interactions, personalities – most often with some amount of humor or irony, always with wonder. The subject or subjects are frequently lgbtq, w/w, to the degree it matters, since people are people, stories are stories.
