“For what it’s worth, reviewing serious literature from ‘Midwestern’ writers always seems to be an afterthought versus the treatment given to newest, hottest writer    emerging from New York with her trendy version of life in the Big City, a story that frankly makes you want to gag. Stage’s stories are about real people who face up to life like the rest of us. No bullshit, no pretense, just the guts of what makes life work for the fringe players in this old river town.”

—Steve Means, author, The Blue Kat

A panhandler has a plum situation in the city, until she takes in a stray dog. A process server is caught relieving himself in an alley, a seemingly mundane event that sets off a cascade of ever-worsening misfortunes. During their getaway, two bank robbers make a wrong turn and accidentally end up in St. Louis’ Hibernian Parade—a serious problem since Black Irish are not welcome.

These are some of the hapless characters in Not Waving, Drowning, Wm. Stage’s new work containing eight short stories, all set in the St. Louis area. Drawn from people he has either known or observed, the characters in these stories ring true, evoking drollery, pathos, and wonder.

“Stage has developed a prose style that is quite his own, and really can carry a story convincingly.”

— Chris King, St. Louis Magazine

2012
Illustrated by Ben Tegel
Designed by Michael Kilfoy, Studio X
ISBN: 978-0-96291249-8
240 pages

Price: $11.95

Order Not Waving, Drowning