David Drury was born on the Philippine Islands in a military hospital that has long since been abandoned to ghosts. He has survived Texas tornadoes, Pacific Rim volcanoes and Japanese earthquakes, and now lives in Seattle, Washington, where nothing bad could ever happen. His short fiction has appeared on National Public Radio, in Best American Nonrequired Reading (2003, 2019), Best Christian Short Stories, ZYZZYVA, Wigleaf, Southeast Review, and elsewhere. His nonfiction has appeared on CNN(dot)com, in Huffington Post, Paste Magazine and elsewhere.
David is the son of a Baptist preacher. In spite of this, or because of it, he has been kicked out of every casino in Las Vegas. His diligence at blackjack earned him the designation Most Notorious Card Counter in America. David is currently in pre-production on podcast and TV versions of his faith-meets-high-stakes-gambling memoir The God Card.
David made a rock-and-roll movie in Tokyo, Japan. He continues to write music for film with the band Tennis Pro.
Informed by his graduate-level studies in the Parables of Jesus and other misunderstood theologies (Regent College/University of British Columbia), David’s fiction is generally short and playful, hopeful as it is dark, touching on one or more spiritual themes—working loose seams of time and space and onions to expose any threads worth pulling.
SHORT STORIES
“Transmission: [static]”
Pupnik in Brazenhead Review
“The boy was born into plenty.”
The Ballad of Nothing in The Coil
“One spring morning, a sinkhole opened up at the far end of the elementary school.”
When God Opens a Door He Closes a Loophole in Southeast Review
“The town council meeting finished well after dark.”
Heads and High Windows in Matchbook
“To those who believed this was possible, thank you.”
The Hmm of Ish in Oxford Magazine
“When the house lamps got to talking, they talked about the sun.”
The House Lamps in Lost Balloon
“Moving out of our dream home was my wife’s idea.”
What You Call a Casket I Call a Front Door and a Bed in Tiny House
“There once was a lake that fell in love with an onion. This is merely what we 100 percent know.”
The Lake and the Onion in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019 [print/Kindle only] and ZYZZYVA [print only]
“Enthusiasm was high, even for a Disney cruise.”
The Altitude of Sinking Dreams in Atticus Review
“I remember when tumbleweeds were new.”
The Murderous History of Tumbleweeds in Cheap Pop
“The gymnast placed her feet just so and lifted up on her toes.”
The Gymnast and Funeral Instructions in Pidgeonholes
“Before she left me, my ex-wife cast a spell that turned me into a mouse.”
On the Repercussions of Divorce for Men in Paper Darts
“I yelled at a room of self-identifying poets today.”
Confession: I Yelled at a Room of Self-Identifying Poets in Moonglasses
“The universe works in threes, and while at home alone on a Saturday I was triangulated into an act of violence.“
Propitiation in Lost Balloon
“’Do you see it?’ she said. ‘The whole world is grieving.’”
Sackcloth and Ashley in Jellyfish Review
“The story goes that when bank robber Wells Duluth was shot dead, the bullet came out the other side encased in ice.”
Fire and Ice in 100 Word Story
“Even Crummy Houses See.”
Call it Even in PCC Inscape
“Cracks in the 8 p.m. performance were already visible by 7 p.m.”
When the Lights Came Up in Matchbook
“I was chasing my little brother through the park at dusk.”
The Brighter Light in Short Edition
“When we awoke, we found a great curtain of linked metal rungs had been lowered to earth from the sky.”
The Great Curtain in Short Edition
MORE
Out now! Beautifully illustrated coffee table book Tales From the Felt features 21 TRUE stories told by 21 card counters. Proceeds go to charity to help problem gamblers. David’s Story “A riverboat casino is no place for a foot chase” Appears in the Collection.
David spoke about his fiction writing process with author Tommy Dean. Read the interview here.
David was the winningest player on the notorious “Church Team,” which was the subject of the award-winning documentary Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians. David was also interviewed about his card counting by Jake Uitti for Bare Magazine. He also trains blackjack players how to count cards and beat the casinos as a part of Blackjack Apprenticeship.
David was a co-creator of the narrative film Big in Japan (Amazon Prime 2014), directed by John Jeffcoat (Outsourced) and shot on location in Tokyo, Japan. David played the singer/guitarist in a struggling garage surf band (Tennis Pro) that finds its way to Tokyo for a last shot at fame. He also co-wrote the Big in Japan soundtrack. Watch the Big in Japan movie trailer on YouTube.
David’s short story story Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire was first published in Little Engines, followed by Best American Nonrequired Reading and Best Christian Short Stories before being broadcast on National Public Radio’s Selected Shorts. Hear actor Keith Szarabajka (Angel/ The Dark Knight/The Equalizer) read Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire on Selected Shorts.
David edited the book The Best Story Wins (Morgan James 2018), authored by Pixar Story Artist Matthew Luhn (Toy Story/Finding Nemo/UP).
The banner image above was drawn by Robyn O’Neil (Do You Have Any Questions?, 2017, graphite on paper, 8¼ x 12 inches). This as a prize for winning a writing contest she hosted on her podcast Me Reading Stuff. The challenge was to write an erotic poem in the voice of Channing Tatum. This is the kind of challenge David is inclined to accept. Come at him, publishing industry.
Image below courtesy of McMillan Creative.
