Lea Carpenter

They met in grad school, a place some people go when they want to change, become new.

In the latest installment in our series of original fiction, previous contributor Lea Carpenter delivers a story that’s part fairy tale, part dream, part nightmare.

Here’s the latest installment in a new series, featuring short stories and works of fiction. This one’s got: war, lies, love, disappointment and Bob Dylan.

Novelist Susan Minot’s new book takes on a daunting subject: Joseph Kony and child soldiers. She talks to Lea Carpenter about why fiction can tell this story so powerfully.

Twenty years after Black Hawk Down and after more than a decade of fighting around the world, novelist Lea Carpenter considers the stories we tell about war—and how we struggle to shape meaning and narrative.