“Local People” (Excerpt 2) by John M. Keller

How did I immigrate here?: I was on an airplane. Even though I had explicitly reserved a seat in the aisle, I was directed to a window. I spoke to the flight attendants, but there was apparently nothing they could do. There was nearly a moment in which I had managed to switch with a family so that they could all sit together, earning myself … Continue reading “Local People” (Excerpt 2) by John M. Keller

“Local People” (Excerpt 1) by John M. Keller

People love to tell you how long they’ve lived here, or how long they’ve been coming here. It is a badge of honor to tell people how long you’ve been disappearing for: fifteen years! In your decorated, sequential, documented life (or the one long ago), you live in London—or Sydney maybe. You go to work, where you have a position, a salary, a recognizable personality—you … Continue reading “Local People” (Excerpt 1) by John M. Keller