As the Winter Olympics get into full swing, it’s as good a time as any to share this interview with Brendan Gillen, whose collection of short stories, Hang Time. The wide world of sports–from Little League and golf to college basketball, monster truck rallies, and more–serves as a backdrop for many of these yarns, but as author John Brandon notes in his blurb, “there’s LSD in the Gatorade.” Because the stories in this collection, published in December 2025, are about much more than sports. They reveal what Brendan calls “the in-between moments” that turn relatable, everyday experiences into surreal yet believable and very enjoyable tales of love, life, and heartbreak.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Brendan’s work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best Small Fictions, and appears in Electric Lit, Write or Die, Sundog, the Florida Review, Wigleaf, X-R-A-Y, and elsewhere. He is also the author of a novel, Static, which came out in 2024, and an award-winning creative director who has developed, written, and created content for a broad range of brands, including ESPN, NASCAR, and Anheuser-Busch.
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Andrew Careaga 