I especially experienced this in the story, “The Way You Must Play Always,” when Gretchen makes her way, for the last time, to the bedroom of the man she thinks she loves. It was as if we were sharing the same space in the room and I could feel their visceral reactions touching me. They carry such emotional weight that I felt close to the characters. Mina Mitchell: The stories in Virgin and Other Stories are big and complex. Immersed in these emotionally fragile worlds, I found myself holding my breath, nervously awaiting the character’s life-changing decision, and when that decision was made, my eyes welled with tears because the choice was unexpected and devastating. I admired April’s ability to delve deep into her characters’ psyches during their most lonely and vulnerable moments. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to read RWW alumna and guest faculty mentor April Ayers Lawson’s debut collection, Virgin and Other Stories (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
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