Gangrey
Vol. I · No. 1Prolonging the Slow Death of NewspapersEst. 2026

Red Velour Sweatshirt

'THEY SAT IN SILENCE'

It hurts me a little bit to say this, because I've written four of them myself, but out of the few dozen Encounters stories the St. Petersburg Times has run so far, I'm pretty sure this one, by Colleen Jenkins, is the best:



TAMPA -- This happened on Monday at the Tampa courthouse:



A woman in a pinstripe suit stepped outside the courtroom to talk to someone. She left behind her newspaper, her keys and her cell phone.



When she walked back in, her newspaper was still there, but the other items were gone.



A young woman in a red velour sweatshirt was sitting where she had left her things.



Pinstripe Suit asked Red Velour Sweatshirt if she had seen her keys and her phone. Red Velour…

Keep reading with a membership

This story is for Gangrey members. Join to read it in full, unlock the archive, and support narrative nonfiction.

Become a Member

Keep Reading

People of diverse skin tones fist bumping in a circle.Essays

How to be a Diversity Hire

1 Min
An empty hospital bed sits in a dimly lit room.Micro-Memoir

Goodnight, Grandpa

1 Min
A group of people walking across a street.Micro-Memoir

Sonder

1 Min

Leave a comment