Firesticks: A Collection of Stories

by Diane Glancy

Incorporating elements of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, Diane Glancy’s stories are lyrical yet down to earth, often tough and gritty. Experimental, sometimes surreal in form, they nevertheless concern people who are very real-a color-blind young boy who watches planes in flight and imagines color; a shy stamp collector who speculates that he and his friend, like the stamps, could go anywhere via the U.S. Post Office; an old woman who dies in the cold landscape of her inner life but retains her vision; a cynical woman reluctant to take risks with yet another traveling man. In spite of life’s hard realities, Firesticks is filled with humor and hope and a stitching together of cultures, as the crossblood characters search for their identities.

Genres: Fiction

152 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1993

About the author

(Helen) Diane Glancy is a Cherokee poet, author and playwright.

Glancy was born in 1941 in Kansas City, Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Arts (English literature) from the University of Missouri in 1964, then later continued her education at the University of Central Oklahoma, earning her a Masters degree in English in 1983. In 1988, she received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa.

Glancy is an English professor and began teaching in 1989 at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, teaching Native American literature and creative writing courses. Glancy's literary works have been recognized and highlighted at Michigan State University in their Michigan Writers Series.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

First discovered this writer from an extract which made me want to know the full story- Polar Breath - but then realised how much more there was to read. The style is not always easy - which is a good thing as it makes you slow down and appreciate the sounds and patterns of language.
I liked the recurring motif of the post office and stamps - on clothes, descriptions , characters feelings...
I’m not sure I’ve fully unlocked the meaning but neither am I sure I have completely unlocked the relationship between the characters Turle and Navorn but found the gradual unfolding of their story ,as their story punctuates the collection , both sad and uplifting. There is a message here about fear ,marginalisation, and loyalty that I have yet to fully understand.
I’ll be re-reading to get to grips with the word as referenced in the eighteenth story and looking to read more by Glancy.

[VeeInNY · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was introduced to Diane Glancy by John Wilson, formerly of BOOKS & CULTURE magazine. This is an early work I found in a library book shoppe and have savored over several weeks. Her stories "flow" but often a paragraph is so poetic, it is worthy of quiet reflection. She straddles the Anglo and Native American cultures with a reverent vehemence. These are stories of grandmothers and grief, postage stamps and spirits, forgiveness and mystery.

[Christine Weihe]

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[Jose Roque Perez-Zetune · Rating 5 out of 5]

needed this at this moment