Griffin Hamstead

Griffin Hamstead is an emerging writer from Appalachia. His fiction has been featured in Stillpoint and The Foundationalist, with poetry appearing in Red Cedar Review, Process and The Orator. His novella To Be Born in the Time of Nations was selected as the runner-up for the 2021 Clay Reynolds Prize. He currently teaches English in Denver, Colorado.

Dial Tone

“Hey, it’s me. Again. I was just calling to see if you had a minute to chat. I guess you’re away from the phone or busy or whatever. Which is cool, I get it. But, um, I’ve been alone for a while now. Couple weeks or months or something and it, uh, kind of gets to my head you know. I saw a bird at the bird feeder today. Very dull, small. Probably a sparrow. But still a bird, can you believe it?