The Acorn Stories by Duane Simolke (Dwyane Smokey) Review by Colin Dunne

"Welcome to Acorn, population 21,001, the Texas town with a little name and a big heart."   In this slim collection of 16 stories Duane Simolke introduces us to Acorn, Texas: "the historical West Texas town of Acorn! Enjoy the German festival, a high school football game, homemade apple pie from the Turner Street Cafe, and the cool shade of a hundred-year-old oak tree. Just be careful, because in Acorn the sky is always falling." I don‚t know if there really is an Acorn, Texas; I don‚t suppose it matters. There‚s a little Acorn in every small town. These wry little tales of intertwining lives remind one a little of Sherwood Anderson‚s Winesburg, Ohio, but the citizens of Acorn are less freakish, more down to earth. Here live Regina and Dirk, looking for love in all the wrong places; gay teacher Chandler Davis, who though deaf, understands more than most; and Morgana Le Fay, the matchmaking cat. My only quibble with this charming collection of gentle and ironic tales is that Simolke seemed to cut away at pivotal moments in his characters‚ lives only to return once the shootin‚ was over. I wanted a little more! Still, it‚s a small quibble. If you liked Winesburg, Ohio or the Spoon River anthology, rejoice. There‚s a new spinner of small town tales, of the little trials and triumphs that make a town a legend. From tiny acorns....

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