A few years ago, eight local writers who knew each other through writers groups and events — Xia L. Cox, Rikki Boyce, April Jones, Rae Harding, Daniel Reece, Justin Siebert, Susan Hopson, and Kathryn Skinner — came up with the idea to collaborate on an anthology of short stories, all of them set in Memphis. Out of this concept came Malfunction Junction, 15 stories covering a range of genres, from horror to romance and pretty much everything in between.
“Hopefully, there’s something for everyone,” says one of authors, Justin Siebert. “The stories are unrelated to each other, except for the fact that they all take place in Memphis and the surrounding areas, and all deal with some sort of junction in life, whether that’s a literal road junction or a metaphorical junction in someone’s journey.”
Siebert has written two stories for the collection: “First Day of Practice” and “Forever and Ever in Both Directions.” The first follows a high school student, recently injured and new to using a wheelchair, as he witnesses his first wheelchair basketball game. “I personally use a wheelchair,” Siebert says. “I was injured in a car wreck when I was 9. It’s not autobiographical, but I incorporated a lot of the feelings and emotions of being newly injured and attending an adaptive sports event for the first time and just seeing that there are other people with disabilities who have normal productive lives and are competing in sports.”
“The main character is somebody that I made up,” he continues. “But a lot of the characters actually play on the Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies basketball team. I play on the team. There’s a group of us that travel and compete.”
Siebert’s other story also taps into his personal life. This story of three adopted siblings, who meet a magical creature while traveling along the Greenline, channels the writer’s own reflections on his fears and anxieties of going through the adoption process with his wife.
Siebert and his fellow writers will be at Novel this Saturday. Contributor Daniel Reece will moderate a panel discussion, and a book signing will follow. Malfunction Junction is available to purchase at Novel or novelmemphis.com.
Malfunction Junction: Meet the Authors, Novel, 387 Perkins, Saturday, January 15th, 2 p.m.