Published in 2013 by This Land Press, edited by Jeff Martin, and lauded by The Paris Review as “the literary equivalent of a high-wire act,” Imaginary Oklahoma is a collection of flash fiction stories about Oklahoma by writers who may or may not have ever been here. In 46 stories to commemorate the 46th state, some of today's most important writers, each paired with an artist, provide their take on "the Oklahoma of the imagination."
We're proud to bring some of these stories to The Pickup—some with This Land Press’ accompanying podcast episodes—to help you dream your own Oklahoma dreams.
The man stood at the crossroads. Cold sun cocked at noon, and he couldn’t tell in what direction the roads dwindled to sky. The fields were corn but so drought- struck the plants were miniature. He didn’t know how he got there, where he was going.
Something about his wife, maybe. Lilian? he tried to call, but his throat was dry, and he could only rasp.
He took a foot from one slipper and looked at it. It was bloody, one toenail ripped off. He thought he had probably been walking a long time. It was pleasant to stand. The sunlight warmed his shoulders and the wind blowing through his clothes wasn’t so cold.
When he looked up again, the sun had just gone down. It was twilight now.
On one of the roads, a speck was growing. He saw first that it was red, then that it was a pickup. And now there was sound, a wash of engine and some kind of thumping music. The truck slowed and stopped.
There were two boys looking at him. Hair sun-blond, noses freckled. Waft of bourbon. On the seat between them sat a toy bat, rubber on the outside and an aluminum core.