I don't often find myself picking up collections of short stories, but after hearing that Ivan is coming back to SiWC this year and is hosting a master class, I thought it would be fun to try some of her writing, like I've been meaning to since the last conference, when I first became aware of her. Of Ivan's six books, five are short story collections. Ivan's writing is like herself. Comfortable, approachable. Not so much sparse as unadorned. With a hint of steel underneath. The stories are autobiographical, often featuring members of her family, other times the people she's met in her travels as a live storyteller. They all seem to speak of connection. More than one she had me tearing up, wanting to shout, "Yes, that's it. That's just like me." The best thing about the stories in Missed Her is that they are moments. Sometime one, sometimes a few. Never loud, often missed. Once or twice the stories are at second- or third- hand. They're the moments we all have. The stories we all have. (Originally published at catherineduthie.com)
