Institutions fall apart. That’s familiar ground to anyone paying attention to the onset of the deindustrial age, and has set the backdrop for plenty of stories. But if you’re part of the institution, it’s no longer just backdrop, it’s your life. In one story, a man is tasked with investigating a group that may threaten to tear apart the government he works for; in another, a woman must keep her town’s government from failing its people. And what about if your life depends on the institution — like when you get hit by a car but the hospital systems don’t work the way they used to? What if your job is to destroy the institution — like the gang assassin sent out against the king who threatens his capos’ rule? The collapse of society doesn’t just happen, it’s helped and hindered by the kinds of people in these stories. Find also thought-provoking essays, poetry, and letters — all you need for these late-summer nights on the porch watching things fall apart.

Introduction		iv
Letters		1
Essays
The Center, Holding	Jacob Austin	7
Cheap Thrills: The Eternal Theater of the World Stage	Justin Patrick Moore	12
Commentary on the Present Situation …	David England	22
Field Notes		23
Stories
Osman Vasilyevich	Wesley Stine	27
Carried Water	Joel Jones	46
MEL	David England	60
Death Goes Retro	Rita Rippetoe	74

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