Fado & other stories

"An intermittently explosive, persistent lyricism buoys up these stories of family, sex, flowers, money, history, loss, and identity that take place in the Portuguese communities of the mainland United States, Hawaii, Azores, and Madeira," remarks screening judge April Bernard of this first collection of short fiction by Katherine Vaz. At times surreal, at times "magical," always image-intense and beautifully written, this collection by turns focuses on the details of its characters' lives, then pulls back to reveal the panorama of an entire culture. It is a culture of tropical plants and climates, filled with the allure - and sometimes destruction of - red tides, bull runs, sexual passion, spiritual and emotional discovery. This collection is also filled with narrative and character grounded in the meaning and value the earth gives to human existence. In one story, a woman sleeps with the village priest, trying to gain back the land the church took from her family; in another, relatives in the Azores fight over a plot of land owned by their expatriate American cousin.