What Solomon Saw and Other Stories showcases the dazzling storytelling skills of award-winning author Mary Dean Cason. Set in the American South, Chicago, New York City, and Europe, the eleven insightful short stories in this collection explore the lives of women young and old, who may be strong, emotionally fragile, or befuddled by life's contradictions. The title story takes its name from the wise old willow oak that cradles the tree house of young Martha, who finds herself reeling in a rapidly changing world. In "A Whore for Thursdays," Gina Pella investigates what is behind her angelic husband's shocking deathbed admission that he has been unfaithful every Thursday, except on Thanksgiving, for thirty years. "Girl Interrupted at Her Music" follows cellist Nora Steele into a spiral of depression and confusion after she loses her husband-and all hope for babies and a normal life-in the South Tower. And in "A Split in the Seam," Tess receives unexpected visits from her parents, proving that parents continue to watch over their children-even after they die. Whether lighthearted tales or heartbreaking dramas, these stories focus on the relationships women forge with their families, friends, lovers, and the world around them. Praise for What Solomon Saw. "A true southern voice is rare-a harmony and a cacophony of insincerity and slander all smothered in grits and gravy and peppered with an essence of downright meanness. So, right this way, y'all. Mary Dean is in the kitchen." -Ken Burger, author of Swallow Savannah and Sister Santee
About the Author: Growing up on the front porches of North Carolina put Mary Dean Cason in a prime spot to listen, and in time, become a storyteller. She made her way to Chicago where, according to her, she blew through a series of careers including flight attendant, occupational therapist, medical writer, interior designer and best of all, mother. In 2000, her story, "What Solomon Saw" became a finalist in Chicago Public Radio's "Stories on Stage," in time spurring her to enroll at the University of Chicago's Writers Studio where she won the 2008 prize for fiction. Since then, she has been a featured writer at Chicago's Story Club, cofounder of Indigan Storytellers, a workshop for oral storytelling, and creator of Wine, Women and Stories, an Indiana literary salon that raises money to improve literacy. In addition to the Writers Studio prize, Mary Dean won the University of Memphis Pinch Award and California's WestSide Story Contest. She lives on the shores Lake Michigan with her husband. Together they have six children. Mary Dean is completing her first novel.