Ghost Writers: Us Haunting Them, Contemporary Michigan Literature

by Keith Taylor (Editor), Laura Kasischke, Steve Amick

For Ghost Writers: Us Haunting Them editors Keith Taylor and Laura Kasischke asked twelve celebrated Michigan writers to submit new stories on one subject: ghosts. The resulting collection is a satisfying mix of tales by some of the state's most well-known and award-winning writers. Some of the pieces are true stories written by non-believers, while others are clearly fiction and can be funny, bittersweet, spooky, or sinister. All share Michigan as a setting, bringing history and a sense of place to the eerie collection.

Ghosts in these stories have a wide range of motivations and cause a variety of consequences. In some cases, they seem to dwell in one person's consciousness, as in Steve Amick's "Not Even Lions and Tigers," and other times they demonstrate their presence with tangible evidence, as in Laura Hulthen Thomas's "Bones on Bois Blanc." Spirits sometimes appear in order to communicate something important to the living, as in James Hynes's "Backseat Driver" and Lolita Hernandez's "Making Bakes," to change the course of events, as in Anne-Marie Oomen's "Bitchathane," or to cause characters to look inside themselves, as in Elizabeth Schmuhl's "Belief." The supernatural stories in Ghost Writers visit a mix of Michigan locations, from the urban, to the suburban, and rural. Authors find ghosts in family farmhouses, downtown Detroit streets, an abandoned northern Michigan lighthouse, gracious Grosse Pointe homes, a mid-Michigan apartment complex, and the crypt of a Polish priest in the small town of Cross Village.

Taylor and Kasischke have assembled a collection with a diverse mixture of settings, tones, and styles, ensuring that Ghost Writers will appeal to all readers of fiction, particularly those interested in the newest offerings from Michigan's best fiction writers.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2011

About the author

Keith Taylor was born in British Columbia in 1952. He spent his childhood in Alberta and his adolescence in Indiana. After several years of traveling, he moved to Michigan, where he earned his M.A. in English at Central Michigan University. He has worked as a camp-boy for a hunting outfitter in the Yukon, as a dishwasher in southern France, a housepainter in Indiana and Ireland, a freight handler, a teacher, a freelance writer, the co-host of a radio talk show, and as the night attendant at a pinball arcade in California. For more than twenty years he worked as a bookseller in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then he taught in the undergraduate and graduate creative writing programs at the University of Michigan, and directed the Bear River Writers Conference. From 2010–2018 he worked as the Poetry Editor at Michigan Quarterly Review. He retired from the University of Michigan in 2018. He lives with his wife in Ann Arbor; they have one daughter.

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to rate a book of short stories by different authors, since my opinion on the different stories varies wildly. Some, like Ghost Anecdote, Backseat Driver, and Estate Sale were creepy. Others, like Bones on Bois Blanc, had potential but were let down by a rather dumb ending (in this case, a stupidly happy ending where everybody's problems--including a struggling marriage--were miraculously solved). Finally, there were ones that just made no sense--The Man at the Edge was one.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual with a short story collection, I enjoyed some of the stories and others not so much. Some of them are set in Michigan, others refer to Michigan in some capacity, some are by Michigan authors. I had previously been familiar with Elizabeth Kostova and Laura Kasischke. The others I did not know.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two editors, both contributors to this collection, have brought together ten other Michigan writers to produce some form of ghostly writing. All twelve pieces have Michigan settings, and each tale represents a varying degree of spectral—not spiritual—speculation. The editors challenge the reader to judge whether a piece might be a true tale, pure fiction, or personal essay.

When considering Michigan, most readers probably will consider the hard economic depression and depopulation that the State might have suffered. If there is a prejudice about the decay of inner-city Detroit, then a reader can appreciate what drives the story of “The Man on the Edge.” There is a hysterical promenade through Michigan’s economic history provided in “Not Even Lions and Tigers,” wherein haints may not be the only reason for a well-fortified bunker. A layoff provides the impetus in “Thin Air,” where a mysterious ride might lead to a possible job referral. And “Estate Sale” offers more than a chance encounter with a vintage chair.

Some stories can be seen as perhaps the result of, or propelled by, mind-expanding stimulants: booze in “Bitchathane,” prescription drugs in “Backseat Driver,” or marijuana in “Ghost Anecdote.” Plus, some form of psychosis could be attributed to these stories as well as to “Making Bakes,” or “Belief.” These tales involve some form of spirit apparitions.

Nevertheless, “Pier Road” is a humorous debunking of ghosts in the attic, and “The Devil In Cross Village” is a grand writing in the “faction” genre, which I define as fiction wrapped within historical details—whether those facts of true, somehow twisted, or simply fabricated.

These stories will not qualify for inclusion in Tales From the Crypt. The array may not be chillingly spooky, but it could prompt some reflection or discussion about any personal paranormal happening. On the other hand, this slim volume does evidence that there are no mean-spirited haunts in Michigan.

[Stephan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won’t go into much detail of the plot lines as it would be worth a read to get your own impression. On the whole, quite a cheap and cheerful collection of spooky stories. I enjoyed this collection as it had quite a good range that exhibited distinctive styles of writing as well as a good variety of storylines.

There were some that struck more of a chord with me. A few worth mentioning are Backseat Driver (James Hynes), Making Bakes (Lolita Hernandez) and The Devil in Cross Village (Eileen Pollack). These all had some sense of unique and layered stories (i.e. away from some of the stereotypical horror story tropes), ranging from the spookiness of the shadowy figure that kept appearing to a person that had recently attempted suicide (to which she was almost gaslit by others that she’d discuss with due to her personal situation) in Backseat Driver, and then the bones and ghost of an old satanist priest in a crypt in The Devil in Cross Village.

There were a few that weren’t so great, including Not Even Lions and Tigers (Steve Amick), where it seemed to be dominated with some weird stereotypically US macho anti-“commie” ideology and spoke about women in a weird way, a lot of strange language used. Also The Man at the Edge (Keith Taylor), which seemed to be peppered with a good deal of ideology. Upshot is that a group of ‘presumably’ Euro-American men shoot an Afro-American man who comes up to their car, without any form of violence and not armed. It turns out the man they think they shot disappears not to be seen again. Anyway, very odd.

I have made a few trips to Michigan over the past few years and picked up this book up in Kalamazoo Public Library’s Friends book store, along with a number of other books. There are some real gems there, so would highly recommend. If you do get this book, it’s an easy read on the whole, so I hope you enjoy it!

[Rachelle Urist]

My book club read this. I read parts of it. The stories are haunting, but in the stories I read, the ghosts are not the supernatural kind. They are figments of the imagination, surreal in the way visions and sensations, fabricated by our minds, a real. They toy with our reality testing. The stories are rife with premonitions; ghosts of history; phantoms created by light, fear, anxiety, dread, remorse, and guilt. It's lovely to have these very real features of the psyche turned into stories that are, collectively, named "ghost stories." Since I didn't read the book through, I did not rate it.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 'ghost' element is treated very differently in each of these stories. Some needed more development to connect the ghosts and the other story elements into a satisfying story.

I enjoyed the Laura Hulthen Thomas story "Bones on Bois Blanc" Anne-Marie Oomen's "Bitchathane." Those two had full characters (even the ghosts) and payoff.

Others felt like too-early drafts. Or, most annoying for a "Made in Michigan" book, the authors pushed Michigan stereotypes in ways that did no service to the story. Pop and hunting and abandoned Detroit buildings: we get it.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to see a local book. But that excitement waned when the authors repeatedly pushed that fact - as if they realized it was the only selling point. And indeed, these stories have all the impact of random high school essays.

I was disappointed to see Wayne State University's heavy influence on the book. Their work product always seems to be heavily propagandized, misguided and substandard.

[Patricia Joynton · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I liked ghostly stories I would give it a 5. The writing is excellent. And, even though ghostly stories are not my thing, I am enjoying it. I would recommend this book. I especially like the format of short stories. You can begin and end a story in a short period and do not have to pick it up in a continuous manner.

I am a little over half way through. No hurry.

[Marnie]

2012 Michigan Notable Book

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought when I attended State of the Book 2012.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I may not have enjoyed all of the stories, but it was fun reading about stories in Michigan - fact or fiction. The one I liked most was about a lighthouse. Let me know which you enjoyed most.