Family Tree - Steve Nelson

His swollen face told stories of tracing our line all the way back to the Reformation. We’d been farmers, blacksmiths, winemakers, and barristers. There was even a countess. After all these years, it was suddenly so vital to him, family, this family—his secret hope that he’d be talked about himself someday—not anonymous, forgotten. I took a drink and let him prattle on….

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Steve Nelson lives and writes in Chicago. He earned his PhD in Creative Writing from UW-Milwaukee and has had stories and essays published in a number of journals, with two stories nominated for Pushcart Prizes. His teaching guide, Teaching The Way:  Using the Principles of The Art of War to Teach Composition was published by Ten16 Press and has been nominated for the 2023 CCCC Outstanding Book Award.