Alison B. Hart
Alison B. Hart’s writing has appeared in The Florida Review, Joyland Magazine, Literary Hub, The Missouri Review, and elsewhere. She is the co-founder of the long-running reading series at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg. Her novel The Work Wife is forthcoming in 2022 from Graydon House Books.
The Duel
By Alison B. HartOur original story this month comes from Brooklyn-based writer Alison B. Hart. “The Duel” looks closely at a long life together and relates the wisdom of mates one finds in Wallace Stegner or Kent Haruf. When a reader learns that this older couple still “made love like rivals,” the broader meaning of the title comes into focus: a lasting marriage is more often duel than duet. Through tender rivalry, a relationship can strengthen and sustain. Hart’s story is clean and quiet in execution but suggests that healthy relationships need mess and noise.
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