The Smoke of the Land Went Up by Andrew Cominelli

Andrew Cominelli has been in and out of my journey. We first met as pedicab drivers in the French Quarter. When I founded Flambeaux Bicycle Tours he edited the content on our website. Some of you may remember him as he use to work with us at Flambeaux for a time.

At heart Andrew is a writer. His latest short story “The Smoke of the Land Went Up” is an ode to both pedicabbing in New Orleans and to New Orleans itself. Veteran pedicabbers in the French Quarter have some pretty outlandish stories. When I read the short story I thought it was fact rather than fiction. If all of the pedicab drivers could compile our stories. The anthology would be enough content to turn out an award winning multi-season sitcom.

To that end, not only will Cominelli’s short story have you laughing out loud as you read it, the story will leave you in deep reflection of place and belonging.

I can’t recommend it enough! The piece was published in Guernica Magazine and can be accessed here. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Happy Reading!

- Eric Gabourel