Not Waving Drowning

by Wm. Stage

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

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 triggers a cascade of ever-worsening misfortunes. During their getaway two bank robbers make a wrong turn and end up in the local St. Patrick's day 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 of eight short stories, all set in and around St. Louis. Drawn from people he has either known or observed, the characters in these stories ring true, evoking drollery, pathos, and wonder.

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2011

About the author

Wm. Stage has been a newspaper journalist / columnist and photographer for more than 30 years. Before that, he was a public health officer with the Centers for Disease Control assigned to the St. Louis Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic. He has taught photojournalism at Saint Louis University School for Professional Studies; and feature writing with the Defense Information School [DINFOS], Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. As of 2025, he has authored 16 books with the most recent, Down And Out In The River City, being his fifth novel. Wm. Stage lives in St. Louis with his wife, Mary, and their many unruly children.

Reviews

[Steve Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting series of vignettes, where St. Louis is often the most relatable character.