Funny, bruising, and unexpectedly tender, Brendan Gillen's new collection reveals the fragile humanity beneath the myths of competition and control. Whether laced with surreal twists or grounded in everyday heartbreak, these stories-moving from little league dugouts and high school gyms to auto shops and monster truck rallies-remind us that "hang time" is never just about staying in the air-it's about what it costs to come back down.