Katrina Kenison

The Best American Short Stories Katrina Kenison

Brief Description: "While a single short story may have a difficult time raising enough noise on its own to be heard over the din of civilization, short stories in bulk can have the effect of swarming bees, blocking out sound and sun and becoming the only thing you can think about," writes Ann Patchett in her introduction to The Best American Short Stories 2006. This vibrant, varied sampler of the American literary scene revels in life's little absurdities, captures timely personal and cultural challenges, and ultimately shares subtle insight and compassion. In "The View from Castle Rock," the short story master Alice Munro imagines a fictional account of her Scottish ancestors' emigration to Canada in 1818. Nathan Englander's cast of young characters in "How We Avenged the Blums" confronts a bully dubbed "The Anti-Semite" to both comic and tragic ends. In "Refresh, Refresh," Benjamin Percy gives a forceful, heart-wrenching look at a young man's choices when his father -- along with most of the men in his small town -- is deployed to Iraq. Yiyun Li's "After a Life" reveals secrets, hidden shame, and cultural change in modern China. And in "Tatooizm," Kevin Moffett weaves a story full of humor and humanity about a young couple's relationship that has run its course. Ann Patchett "brought unprecedented enthusiasm and judiciousness [to The Best American Short Stories 2006]," writes Katrina Kenison in her foreword, "and she is, surely, every story writer's ideal reader, eager to love, slow to fault, exquisitely attentive to the text and all that lies beneath it."Table of Contents: Foreword ix Introduction by Ann Patchett xv Paul Yoon. Once the Shore 1 from One Story Tobias Wolff. Awaiting Orders 20 from The New Yorker Donna Tartt. The Ambush 30 from Tin House Maxine Swann. Secret 43 from Ploughshares Mark Slouka. Dominion 60 from TriQuarterly Patrick Ryan. So Much for Artemis 70 from One Story Benjamin Percy. Refresh, Refresh 91 from The Paris Review Edith Pearlman. Self-Reliance 105 from Lake Effect Alice Munro. The View from Castle Rock 112 from The New Yorker Kevin Moffett. Tattooizm 143 from Tin House Thomas McGuane. Cowboy 163 from The New Yorker Jack Livings. The Dog 173 from The Paris Review Yiyun Li. After a Life 191 from Zoetrope Aleksandar Hemon. The Conductor 204 from The New Yorker Mary Gaitskill. Today I'm Yours 221 from Zoetrope Nathan Englander. How We Avenged the Blums 237 from The Atlantic Monthly Robert Coover. Grandmother's Nose 252 from Daedalus David Bezmozgis. A New Gravestone for an Old Grave 259 from Zoetrope Katherine Bell. The Casual Car Pool 291 from Ploughshares Ann Beattie with Harry Mathews. Mr. Nobody at All 310 from McSweeney's Contributors' Notes 359 100 Other Distinguished Stories of 2005 370 Editorial Addresses of American and Canadian Magazines Publishing Short Stories 374 Review Citations:

Booklist 10/15/2006 pg. 27 (EAN 9780618543526, Paperback)

Kliatt 03/01/2007 pg. 30 (EAN 9780618543526, Paperback)

Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2006 pg. 805 (EAN 9780618543526, Paperback) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 08/15/2005 pg. 28 (EAN 9780618427055, Paperback)

Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2005 pg. 931 (EAN 9780618427055, Paperback)

Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 84 (EAN 9780618427055, Paperback) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 08/15/2005 pg. 28 (EAN 9780618423491, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2005 pg. 931 (EAN 9780618423491, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2004 pg. 769 (EAN 9780618197347, Hardcover)

Booklist 10/15/2004 pg. 388 (EAN 9780618197347, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Kenison, Katrina Katrina Kenison has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 1990. She currently resides in Massachusetts. Contributor Bio:  Patchett, Ann Ann Patchett is the author of six novels and three works of nonfiction. She is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, England's Orange Prize, and the Book Sense Book of the Year, and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Karl, and their dog, Sparky.