Standalone short stories and essays by Edmond A Porter
Alongside his serial novel The Hard Land and his book-length work, Edmond A Porter writes shorter standalone pieces — short fiction and creative nonfiction that capture a single character at a hinge point in their life. The stories collected here are quieter than the novel. They live in the space of a phone call you don't want to receive, a house that holds something wrong, a piece of music written for a life that didn't go as planned, a moving day that turns into something else.
These are the stories of ordinary people on ordinary days that turn — sometimes gently, sometimes not — into the days they will remember.
Selected stories
The MaGee House
Sep 24, 2022 — A taut, atmospheric piece of suspense. Davey expects to be home before dark, but a flat tire wrecks his plans. He stashes his dirt bike in the trees and finds shelter in a house that should be empty. A short story about the thin line between sanctuary and trespass.
The C-Word
Sep 14, 2022 — A first-person story of the five days between a biopsy and the phone call. The narrator tries to work, tries to sleep, tries to act normal — and jumps every time the phone rings. A short, restrained meditation on fear, faith, and the strange long minutes of waiting for news.
Rhapsody of Life
Aug 30, 2022 — Subtitled "A Composition of Irregular Form." A more literary, experimental piece — a life rendered in movements, the way a piece of music is. Published in Medium's Pure Fiction.
Moving Day
Aug 27, 2022 — A short story about the boxes we pack, the ones we leave behind, and what a single day of upheaval reveals about the life that came before it.
Read more
- Full collection on Medium: Stories by Edmond A Porter
- Long-form serial novel: The Hard Land — a 33-part Western of love and survival.
- Essays and reflections: Latest articles.
- Books by Edmond: The Seasons That Made Me and Turbulent Waters (June 2026).
About the author
Edmond A Porter is a Utah author and essayist whose work draws on a Preston, Idaho farming childhood and a long career outside writing. His short stories and essays have appeared on Medium since 2022. In 2025 he was awarded first and third place in the first-chapter and creative-nonfiction divisions of the League of Utah Writers' annual contest. Read more on the About page.