Hang Time

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Funny, bruising, and unexpectedly tender, Brendan Gillen's new collection, Hang Time, reveals the fragile humanity beneath the myths of competition and control. Whether laced with surreal twists or grounded in everyday heartbreak, these stories—moving from little league dugouts and high school gyms to auto shops and monster truck rallies—remind us that "hang time" is never just about staying in the air—it's about what it costs to come back down. "There are too many stories out there about writers and college professors. Bring on the athletes, the down-and-out family men, the working class folks doing their best to get by. Gillen's prose focuses on the grittier parts of these characters' lives, but there's poetry in here, along with the heartbreak. You'll find hope, too, of last-second buzzer beaters, happier marriages, recovering deadbeat dads, and a taste of the glory only hard-fought competition can bestow." —Eric