How to Survive a Collision Involving A Turtle

O. Henry Award–winning writer and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Arthur Bradford talks about his new short story collection, Turtleface and Beyond. Paddling down a remote, meandering river, Georgie’s friend Otto decides to do something both spectacular and stupid: He scales a sandy cliff that rises from the water and runs down its steep face, preparing for a triumphant running dive. As his friends look on, they watch something awful unfold: Otto lands with an odd smack and knocks himself unconscious, blood spilling from his nose and mouth. Georgie arrives on the scene first and sees a small turtle, its shell cracked, floating just below the water’s surface. This title story sets the tone for the rest of the book, full of tales of near disasters, narrow escapes, and complicated victories.