All of us meet people on the street, wondering what their lives are like. The stories in It Makes the Bread Rise germinated from observations of people I’ve encountered—the elderly man who takes up his cane and walks across town to visit his ailing wife, the, lovelorn opera enthusiast who can no longer sing, the carnival tattoo artist who lives alone in his trailer. They are aimed at an audience that appreciates an exploration of the human condition. Some of these stories can be called magical realism, some are humorous, some are pure fantasy. All illuminate the human heart.  

Keith Ludden is a native of Nebraska. He lived in Maine for twenty years, where he worked for the Maine Arts Commission. In 1990 he served as Playwright in Residence at the Great Platte River Playwright’s Festival in Nebraska. Ludden worked as a journalist for Nebraska Public Radio, covering legislative and cultural topics . His stories, The Man Who Had Nothing More To Say, and Passion for Justice were published in Little Fish, an online magazine, and The Writer’s Journal: Live and Learn,respectively. he has also published in PentaCat, Doublespeak Magazine and Ariel Chart.

Come for the readings! Stay for the snacks! And conversation too! 

Friends, family, and fellow writers and readers welcome!