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.