“Whether they are held by a “cushion of warm wind” or attuned to the insistent drumming coming from their drain pipes, the characters in this collection of stories within stories stay still for long enough to listen to the natural elements that surround them. Rootedness and movement live in harmony in the world of these tales, and Stephen Michell’s effortless prose invites us to settle into their quiet charms.”

“Michell’s The Gardener’s Tales strikes two deep chords with me. As a Canadian born and raised in southeastern Ontario, having traveled often to the West through several of its farms and gardens, with their hostas, birch trees, and peonies, I felt immediately at home in the collection’s quiet framing conceit: a trellis that gives shape to chance encounters that surprise and delight. As an Italianist, it’s clear to me that Michell’s writing is heir to the great tradition of the short story, with flashes of the fantastical rendered in a documentary poise that recalls Dino Buzzati’s mid-century tales, where a journalistic calm meets the otherworldly. The genre is in good hands. Above all, these stories are accessible, lively, and fun. I’ll be sharing this book widely with friends and family, young and old.”