By Kendall Johnson
FROM: Cultural Weekly

Once a wise and powerful wizard pulled a small but brilliant gem out of a leather pouch and laid it on the table before a cluster of his closest friends. As they leaned over and and peered into the depths of the tiny gemstone, the mysteries and terrors of the universe were revealed. Such is John Brantingham’s latest collection of flash stories, Life—Orange to Pear, one of the first publications of Bamboo Dart Press, a new collaborative project by Pelekinesis and Shrimper Records.

A sustained read of John Brantingham is a return to all that is important. Whether it is a tramp through the Sierra Nevada, a day on streets of the Inland Empire, or a dance through the clouded history of sunny California, you’ll be guided through stories of love, honesty, possibility, perhaps most frightening, parenting.

Life—Orange to Pear follows a set of 20 telling interchanges between the protagonist and his daughter, Cyndi, at various ages, as both negotiate the delights and pitfalls of growing up, trying to understand others, coming of age, sex, love, and the coming end of this miracle and curse called living. Whether you see the unfolding panorama as dialogue between Father and Daughter, between them and Mom, between each of us and our inner selves, or between disparate cultures colliding, you will find much of value revealed. Read Rest of Article Here