Using a single interlude-a brief encounter of old lovers, two bodies entwined on a bed at midday-Minot defines the distance that erupts at what seems to be the height of connection, as well as the extent to which the senses deceive, and the intensely private eroticism of fantasy and the imagination. Minot's lovers are mesmerizing in their individual journeys-one moving toward a kind of holy consummation, the other toward abnegation and blank despair....

"Ivy Cooper is 52 years old when Ansel Fleming first walks into her life. Twenty years her junior, a musician newly released from prison on a minor drug charge, Ansel’s quiet intensity and beguiling good looks instantly seduce her. Despite the gulf between their ages and experiences, the physical chemistry between them is overpowering, and in the heady weeks and months that follow, Ivy finds her life bifurcated by his: on the surface she is a responsible...

This provocative, unprecedented anthology features original short stories from thirty authors, celebrating the fundamental ideals of a free, just, and compassionate democracy. Included are pages of daring, full-color and black-and-white art, that support our country's founding premise as the land of the free. Royalties from the book will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.