We've done lots of stories in recent years in praise of flash fiction - the always popular short-short story. But Wellington-based writer Craig Gamble prefers his short stories on the long side and has gathered together 16 stories that are a bit shorter than novellas and a bit longer than the average short story. Middle Distance, Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand is the name of the collection. Lynn Freeman talks with Craig about the appeal of the long short story, as well as one of the writers he's selected for the collection. J. Wiremu Kane's short story is called Ringawera, and next year In 2022 he'll be based at the International Institute of Modern Letters in Whanganui-a-tara as its Emerging Maori Writer in Residence.