Fiction. The four chapbooks collected in A PECULIAR FEELING OF RESTLESSNESS, three of them finalists and one of them the winner of the Rose Metal Press first annual short short chapbook contest, all revel in the succinctness of their form, the underlying tension anchored beneath each story of 1,000 words or less. These stories are peculiar; they resonate with restlessness. They are deft, they are gritty, and they are lyrical. Laughter, Applause. Laughter, Music, Applause by Kathy Fish, Wanting by Amy L. Clark, Sixteen Miles Outside of Phoenix by Elizabeth Ellen, and The Sky Is a Well by Claudia Smith combine four multi-layered portrayals of beautiful uneasiness into a collection rich with wit, grace, and originality.

Ellen has truly been a successful woman. Born in the twenties, like many others of her generation she joined in the war effort. Supporting the troops during World War II didn't mean sending them a pound of coffee; it meant working hard for them every day. In Ellen's case, that meant joining the Marines. After the war, she taught high school for twenty-two years, taking time off along the way to be a stay-at-home mom. She was a devoted wife for 58 years. But she also had a career as an artist and interests in traveling that allowed her to function independently of marriage and motherhood. She managed to combine career and family during a time when the dominant paradigm for an ideal woman included ironing sheets and cooking dinner in your pantyhose and pearls. Yet she lived her life as a feminine, soft-spoken person. Her story is rich in fascinating details and family connections. It is probably not possible to do her full justice with any portrait, but I offer you this one hoping that it increases your understanding of this remarkable woman.