"Believe."

Stan Werlin

I mentioned I had some news that might be of interest to the fraternity of Camp Dry-Kye alumni. I spent my working life in a business career but always enjoyed creative writing. In the 80s and 90s I wrote humorous children's poetry that was published in children's magazines like Cricket and in a number of anthologies.

I gave up the children's stuff eventually and about ten years ago I began to write serious literary short fiction. I've had twelve stories published in various literary magazines and just received an acceptance from the literary magazine Futures Trading for a thirteenth story entitled "Strolch".

The story will first appear online next month (September 2017) and then in the magazine's annual print issue in early 2018. "Strolch" was inspired by my one summer at Camp Dry-Kye when I was ten. Indelibly wonderful memories.

In my mind, of course, it is set at the camp, and evokes many of my fondest memories of the camp. However, in order to provide dramatic underpinning to the story and create some tension, the portrayal of the camp director in the story (Ezekiel Graham, or "Z") is ultimately neither sympathetic nor positive. While I borrowed a few of Ben Kimball's most endearing qualities for my character Z, Z is definitely not Ben, whom I remember in only the warmest ways, as I'm sure every camper does.

Click here to read the FULL STORY.

I think alumni would enjoy it. The name for the story, "Strolch", was Ben's nickname for my cousin Michael Vale. I can still hear Ben's voice affectionately addressing Mike with that name all summer long, and wishing he had given me a nickname as well.

– Stan Werlin

Stan Werlin
(781)883-7914
stanwerlin@comcast.net

Michael Vale
(631)365-4866
michael.vale49@gmail.com

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