Guest edited by Ryan Boudinot, Hobart #4 features a diverse collection of stories from the absurd to realist, from first time writers to short shorts by Rick Moody and Stephen Elliott. Aimee Bender's "Crew" bookends the issue in two parts, about a devil and skeleton rowing naked families across a lake of fire, inspired by Marcel Dzama's cover art.
Ryan Boudinot is the author of the novels Blueprints of the Afterlife and Misconception, and the story collections The Octopus Rises and The Littlest Hitler.
Ryan received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Bennington College. He also holds a BA from The Evergreen State College. Born in the US Virgin Islands, he grew up in Skagit Valley, in Washington State, and now lives in Seattle.
This is a pretty good issue of Hobart, but #6 and #9 are still my favorites. In this issue I particularly like Bender's "Crew," J. Robert Lennon's "The Pins," Elliott's "Plane Crash Stories," and Rosovsky's "Patriot Nation."