Amazon Book Description
Masques presents an eclectic collection of flash fiction and short stories ranging from tales rooted popular culture, dysfunctional relationships, and dystopian societies to stories touching upon the pathos of death, humor/irony of situation, and joy of new beginnings.
Praise for Masques
Masques…What a revelation of possession and enlightenment! Sterling grabs his readers and shoves us through the gate. We visit an imagined and friendly territory through these movingly affable vignettes, memoirs and reflections. Thoroughly personal, experiential, and experimental, we are captive, amused, frightened and surprised. He invites us into his country where we embrace his vision—his lush language of place and character lets us enter; this is where we travel, if we dare, with humor, courage and love.
—Tobey Kaplan: Poet, Author of ritual desire: recent and selected poetry
Tales told as witness & participant: from zombies & journalists, students & professors to wives & mistresses, Californian days & hot nights. Flash flesh sagas & epiphany brevity as personal as your mirror staring back—talking short briefs—your soul’s underwear, new as now-nude. Read!
—Thom “the World Poet” Woodruff: Improvising Bard, Texas Beat Poet Laureate
I know no one who combines academic rigor with the wild abandon of poetry in such an addictive, ever-evolving frenzy of creative energy. Jump into his most recent collection of flash fiction and fiction, Masques, and join this man of many genres— always observant, both hilarious and heartbreaking, but above all, human and compassionate to the core.
—Rose Anna Higashi: English Professor, Poet, Author of Finding the Poet and Blue Wings
Sterling Warner gives the reader surprises in this collection, surprises that both taunt and intrigue sensibility. His eye for the edge is matched by his ear for language. Enjoy this journey through Masques with Warner as guide. He points to things you might not see.
—Kathleen Hudson, Ph D.: Author of 3 oral histories, Poet, Teacher, Collector
Lynette: Sample Flash Fiction
An exceptional woman, Lynette managed to convince everyone that “better judgment” was a concept predicated in nonsense. She knew how to have fun. That’s her—over there with the tie-dye shawl, kicking it up at the beach with her typical aplomb. She’d be the first to remove her bra, climb on a stranger’s shoulders “piggy-back,” and wave her arms in the air at every rock concert she attended. Today, however, something seemed different. Though the muslin tie-dye remained somewhat revealing and in character, her outstretched arms resembled Jesus on the cross.
Faced towards the sun, she began to chant Where is love? Love is gone! People around her appeared annoyed at first, but then began to watch and listen. Others simply stared at the ocean as waves accentuated Lynette’s refrain. The better part of me longed to go over, hug her, and reminisce about old times; however, I knew Lynette well, and out of respect for her blissful albeit prophetic state, I decided to go eat and catch up with her latter on.
By sunset, everybody had deserted the beach except Lynette—but that wasn’t unusual. She’d always been the last person to leave a protest march, a party, a concert, or a love-in. However, she now seemed a bit weary, no longer able to shoulder another’s burden like she had done all her life. As she held a solitary, ocean vigil, I approached her and said, “Lynette, I saw you here today, dancing in the sand, and wanted to say hello—but felt you were engaged in something more important.”
“I saw you, Lee; I liked it—just as I’ve always liked you watching me,” Lynette answered, shaking aside her hair.”
“Let’s go get a drink, Lynette. It’s been too long.”
“Love too—can’t. I’ve made plans and can’t break ‘em. Perhaps…another time Lee?” she smiled, touching my cheek. “I’ve always loved your soft skin….”
With that, Lynette rose from the sand and strolled down the beach alone. My eyes followed her until she disappeared into night’s pitch, but I never heard the handgun—which she carried for protection—fire. Rather, I’d turned, walked up the coast to the nearest bar, and drank myself into a stupor.
Lynette has been dead five years now. Recently, however, I’ve begun to encounter her indelible figure sauntering along the sandy shoreline, always at midnight—always from a distance.
Refugee Reprieve: A Prose Poem
Subsisting on promise, outsiders peer through opaque social portals without roots, sans sigils defining allegiances. Commitment free expatriates without a homeland wade through the shallows of each new sandy beach, pursuing solid soil, praying for sanctuary on shore where belonging replaces roaming, strange clothes today become fashion statements tomorrow, foreign languages evolve into mere curiosities rather than communication barriers. There an astrolabe neither measures degrees of indignities, nor depends on heavenly bodies to navigate quests.
The immigrant languishes, every minute of perpetual flight an exodus of memories fair and foul, shifting concerns focus on the present, nurturing novel experiences, shaping fresh family legacies. Instead of timeless drifting on leaky ships of hope or bloody feet treading each new trail of tears, exiles keep moving, wishing, watching, scanning—both eyes set on the horizon, searching for a personal Ithaca, hungry for acceptance, inclusion, satisfaction. Like silver-tongued Odysseus leaving Troy far behind, refugees end their epic wandering as longitude and latitude fixate on safe havens.
© Sterling Warner
Paperback Only
Author of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, Sterling Warner has several publications. His recent ones include: Visions Across the Americas (8th edition © 2013), and Anthology of World Literature [Until the 17th Century] (6th edition © 2017).
Warner’s poetry and fiction have appeared in many international literary magazines, journals, and anthologies such as Verse Virtual, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Ekphrastic Review, Poetry Life and Times, The Fib Review, and MasticadoresUSA.
Warner also has written several volumes of poetry. His most recent ones include Flytraps: Poems (Independent Press © 2022), Cracks of Light: Pandemic Poems & Fiction 2019-2022 (Annas Bay Books 2022), Halcyon Days: Collected Fibonacci (Annas Bay Books © 2023), Abraxas: Poems (Kelsay Books © 2024), Gunilla’s Garden (Annas Bay Books © 2025)—as well as Masques: Flash Fiction &. Short Stories (Independent Press © 2020).
A Jim Herndon Award recipient (2013), a Pushcart Award nominee (2014, 2020, 2021), and a Hayward Award winner (2000), Warner was named the Atherton Poet Laureate in 2014. Warner formerly taught in the English Department at Evergreen Valley College, where he served as the Creative Writing Program Director, EVC Author’s Series Organizer, and Leaf by Leaf literary magazine Chief Editor.
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