Measuring the Distance

Robert Scotellaro has published short fiction and poetry in numerous print and online journals and anthologies. He is the author of five literary chapbooks. His most recent collections are Rhapsody of Fallen Objects (Flutter Press 2010) and The Night Sings A Cappella (Big Table Press 2011). He is the recipient of Zone 3¿s Rainmaker Award in Poetry, and the author of three books for children. Born and raised in Manhattan, he currently lives in San Francisco with his wife and...
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Robert Scotellaro has published short fiction and poetry in numerous print and online journals and anthologies. He is the author of five literary chapbooks. His most recent collections are Rhapsody of Fallen Objects (Flutter Press 2010) and The Night Sings A Cappella (Big Table Press 2011). He is the recipient of Zone 3¿s Rainmaker Award in Poetry, and the author of three books for children. Born and raised in Manhattan, he currently lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter. ¿Measuring the Distance grabbed me with its first line¿¿`You can keep the frogs,¿ my ex says¿¿and never let go. I was a thoroughly willing prisoner. These sparkling flash fictions pulse with heart and humor, presenting a vision of life and love that is as skewed as it is realistic¿and above all, supremely entertaining. If there¿s any justice¿Are you listening, literature gods?¿this gem of a collection will garner the wide readership it so richly deserves.¿ ¿Tom Hazuka, Editor, Sudden Flash Youth; Flash Fiction; You Have Time for This ¿I found myself laughing so hard while reading this book that I almost choked to death on a blackened tuna sub. True story. Robert Scotellaro¿s never lost his goofy, kid¿s-eye-view of the world, so that no matter how sticky or noir-ish a situation he dishes out (and many would make Charles Bukowski proud), he somehow manages to rescue his characters by hitching a zip-line between Steve Martin¿s sad-sacky shtick and the Marx Brothers¿ exquisite timing.¿ ¿Richard Peabody, Editor, Gargoyle Magazine ¿From a homeless man stealing sugar, a mime with a gun, crazy Uncle L and a daughter¿s drunken Skype, to the stunning, aching perfection of ¿One Better Than the Next,¿ Measuring the Distance is the work of a master storyteller. Our favorite collection of 2012.¿ ¿Boston Literary Magazine ¿Through precise diction and often hilarious narrations, Robert Scotellaro does in two pages what other authors can¿t do in hundreds. His writing is a profound journey through awkwardly human situations. With impeccably described details, the destination gives way to deeper introspection about the way we live. Scotellaro¿s ability to skillfully combine complexity with concision proves he is a master of flash fiction.¿ ¿Kona Morris, Co-founder and Editor, Fast Forward Press