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This is The Writer's Voice, new fiction from The New Yorker.

I'm Deborah Treesman, fiction editor at The New Yorker.

On this episode of The Writer's Voice, we'll hear Thomas McGuane read his story,

Ordinary Wear and Tear from the April 27th, 2026 issue of the magazine.

McGuane has published more than a dozen books of fiction,

including the story collection's Gallatin Canyon, Pro Fair,

and a wooded shore, which came out in 2025.

Now here's Thomas McWain.

Ordinary wear and tear.

Carl backed the car down the ramp and with little effort Jed slid the boat off the trailer and into the river where it tugged gently on the rope and slapped on the current.

Carl parked the car and trailer and came back to the bank carrying the oars. He was crisply dressed in khakis, a tattersall shirt, and a belt that displayed nautical signal flags. Jed lean, nearly gone

with widespread blue eyes, wore a Seahawks sweatshirt with sleeves cut off and flip-flops. He wondered why Carl thought

he needed to be so spiffy. Carl took the oars as the river carried the boat downstream. It was a

cloudless September day with the dusting of snow at the higher elevations. The cottonwoods were just changing color

and stirred in the morning breeze. This was a new river, the ruby. Last month they'd gone down

the gallatin which had had too many rapids for their limited skills and they'd barely avoided a wreck.

They didn't fish or take their phones, just chatted as they floated along, a monthly summary.

In the winter, they snow-shooted in nearby hills or watched football.

...