Z Space: Off the Page – Three Stories by Ron Rash

Monday April 15, 7pm at Z Below
Three Stories by Ron Rash:
“Sad Man,” “The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth,” and “Hard Times”
Directed by Amy Kossow

Join us for our latest installment of Off the Page.
“The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth” – With a comedic touch this contemporary Appalachian tale reveals the lessons of bad marriages, weak foundations, and questionable religious observances, as well as the hard-won unexpected surprise of new love.
In “Sad Man in the Sky,” a crumpled man approaches a helicopter operator and offers money to be taken up for a pass over a certain neighborhood. The man is circumspect in his reasons, and while in the air he requests that the operator hover over a house so he can look down from the sky upon children he loves but cannot see.
“Hard Times”, the lead story in Ron Rash’s 2010 Frank O’Connor Prize winning collection of short stories Burning Bright is truly a marvel, a work that comes from deep knowledge, compassion, and an unfiltered view of American Appalachia of the 1930’s. The story focuses on isolated, marginalized families with no one to speak for them. A dispute between neighbors over some missing eggs leads to a heartbreaking conclusion.