Synopses & Reviews
A marvelous collection of fiction by America's best new writers.
Upon its launch in 2000, Best New American Voices received acclaim for the range and originality of its selections, which represented the best writing from new American writers who are generally unknown but promise to become the literary stars of tomorrow. For the 2001 edition, National Book Award finalist Charles Baxter, together with series editors John Kulka and Natalie Danford, judged short stories from more than one hundred writing programs around the country to find the very best, most interesting, and most accomplished pieces by outstanding writing students. The result is presented here in a collection of seventeen tales that will be sure to attract attention and critical acclaim. Ranging from stories of passion, loneliness, and humor to masterful accounts of discovery and family politics, and set in locales from Burma and Japan to the Middle West and New England, these tales are eclectic, vivid, and cutting-edge, and showcase the best writing talent of tomorrow.
Review
PRAISE FOR BEST NEW AMERICAN VOICES 2000
In terms of energy, passion, artistry, and intellect, this collection is
a winner . . . It is a daring collection that is well worth our attention."
--Review of Contemporary Fiction
Both the imperatives of multiculturalism and a proliferation of genuine literary talent have stimulated a contemporary plethora of story anthologies. This lively volume is one of the best of them."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
About the Author
Charles Baxter is the author of seven books including the 2000 National Book Award finalist The Feast of Love. He teaches at the University of Michigan. John Kulka is executive editor-at-large at Harvard University Press and lives in Connecticut. Natalie Danford is a freelance writer and book critic whose work has appeared in People, Salon, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, and many other publications. She is the author of a novel, Inheritance, and lives in New York City.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
Introduction by Charles Baxter ix
Pilgrims by Julie Orringer 1
Darkening of the World by Timothy A. Westmoreland 22
Superassassin by Lysley A. Tenorio 36
Villa of the Veiled Lady by Christina Milletti 60
Intervention by Erin Flanagan 78
Our Lady of the Height by Ha-yun Jung 97
Oh, Albany, My Love by Jeb Livingood 116
Beheadings by Kira Salak 130
Louisiana Loses Its Cricket Hum by Amanda Davis 161
Of Cabbages by Zoey Byrd 168
The Sharp Light of Trespassers by Whitney Davis 183
Bats by Lidija S. Canovic 193
Loss by Roompa Bhattacharyya 206
Before Las Blancas by Patrick Ryan 218
Home, James, and Don't Spare the Horses by Antoine Wilson 244
We Are Cartographers by Susanna Daniel 269
The Mean by Matthew Pitt 275
Contributors 297
Participants 300