Eyeshot, one of my favorite online literary publications, has been posting Daniel Alarcón’s entertaining travel journals.
The Peruvian American writer’s debut New Yorker story year before last had some good moments, but I suspect (based on no evidence) that it would have felt more complete in its original, 20,000-word form. You can hear New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman and Alarcón discussing the extensive editing process in this old interview on The Connection.
Alarcón moved to Birmingham, Alabama from Peru at three and grew up there. Having spent a little time with (beloved) family in Birmingham, I’d pay good money to hear that story.