Are you now or have you ever been Jim Henry?

I've been reading a few of the Iowa Short Fiction Award titles over the last few months. Started with the recent ones: Ryan Harty's Bring Me Your Saddest Arizona, Kevin Moffett's Permanent Visitors, Beth Helms' American Wives, Merrill Feitell's Here Beneath Low-Flying Planes.

It's a good series, if you like the short story They have an interestingly contradictory feel to them: they are first books and are sometimes raw, new. But because they are new books—and you have, really, your whole life to write and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite your first book—they have a polish.

Contradictory, like I said.

I've gone back to some of the older titles, as well. Sharon Dilworth's The Long White—stories about Upper Michigan, where I grew up. (All books mentioned here are recommended.)

And then I found Jim Henry's Thank You for Being Concerned and Sensitive. There's a blurb on the back of the book by Ann Beattie in which she compares Henry's voice (specifically his "amused irritation") to the great Donald Barthelme. It's a spot-on comparison. A great book.

That sense of amused irritation is enormously comforting in each of the stories. The things that happen in Henry's fiction are ever so slightly off. There is a David Lynchian anomalous edge to his fictional worlds. The voice fits perfectly. Not so much contradiction.

(Not that the contradiction is bad in the others. I sort of like it. This one, though...)

I don't know what Jim Henry is doing now.

Reader, are you now or have you ever been Jim Henry? Do you know Jim Henry? Jim Henry, are you out there? You are hard to Google. (Your name is Henry James, backwards.) Where are you? Drop a line.

-matthew-
happycobrabooks at gmail dot com

Comments

[Gavin Francis]

Matthew - I was pleased to come across your post about Jim Henry. I knew Jim briefly many years ago. He and I worked the graveyard shift together at an all-night copy shop in Cleveland. This was probably around 1992 or so. I think Jim was about 30 then, so he is probably in his late 40s now.

Jim and I had frequent down time between print jobs at the copy shop, and Jim spent much of that time writing. I had the opportunity to read early drafts of two of his projects – a novel and a play. It was good stuff, very edgy. I was impressed with his style. He was obviously talented and devoted to his craft.

I believe Jim was originally from Cleveland, and was living in the Little Italy area near Case Western Reserve University. I know that before I met him, he had spent several years in New York and would reminisce frequently about living in Hell's Kitchen. He often said that he would like to return. I think he told me once that his literary hero was J.D. Salinger.

It appears that Jim may have spent some time at Oberlin College after I knew him, but unfortunately I can’t tell you any more than that. I have no idea where Jim is now. But I do know that Jim was an extremely dedicated writer. I’m sure that he’s still scribbling away out there somewhere.

Gavin Francis

[Meg Donnelly]

He was my instructor in the Creative Writing 101 course that I took in my second year at Oberlin College. That was the Spring of 1998. He was a great teacher - he had a sense of humor that is not found in a lot college professors. He only lasted a year there and was off. I just tried to find him on amazon, couldn't find anything, tried to google him and came across this. Maybe he spends a lot of time googling himself and will stumble across this. Good luck and I wish I had more current information about him.

[jim henry]

i am jim henry. i'm in dubai, uae. been here a while. jshjsh@gmail.com. glad you liked the book, and gavin, if you are still checking this, i'd love to hear from you. last i remember you were going to moscow. and meg, what's going on? nice to hear from you too.