Probing the fringes of society, through the bowling alleys and coffee breaks of everyday America and its unknown companies and faceless denizens, this collection of vignettes explores the hidden contours of its characters' experiences with humor, subtlety, and compassion. From the opening story "Just Four Words," exploring the awkwardness of dating after years of not doing so, to the final chords of "Kawabonga," a story about the power of words and the narrow-mindedness of those who live in fear of that power, Charles Karian's debut collection uses spare prose to deliver lives full of...

Karian's play in life is art. His website, www.charles-karian.com, provides a view of his artwork. More recently, he embraced a passion for the written word, as evidenced by his first book, Leap of Faith. This is his second book.