Spring Short Story Panel discussion

I've got Here Comes Another Lesson by Stephen O'Connor in the TBR pile, and Volt by Alan Heathcock next in line on the Kindle. Anyone have a collection to recommend? Or, what are you reading now?

I'm looking forward to reading City Sages: Baltimore, though I guess that's an anthology rather than a collection.

Reading Joe Hill's "20th Century Ghosts". Quick reads, from the sublime to the humorous. I particularly enjoyed "Best New Horror", "Pop Art", "The Black Phone". I thought all the stories were well constructed.

I just finished, " before you suffocate your own fool self," by Danielle Evens -- another of the panelists.

I'm reading Stephen Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter and loving it so far. The stories are beautiful and funny and unsettling in the best kind of way.

So far this year, I've read three incredibly strong short story collections: Quiet Americans by Erika Dreifus, Daddy's by Lindsay Hunter, and Alan Heathcock's Volt. Each of them approaches the short form in unique ways, but each of them shows the authors have been paying attention to past masters of the craft (Dreifus=Singer, Malamud; Hunter=Brautigan, O'Connor; Heathcock=Hemingway, R. Ford). I hate pulling out the standard "this author reminds me of this legend" type of comparisons, but for those unfamiliar with these three collections, it's a superficial way to tag the writing style and give you some idea of the types of stories we're talking about here. Dreifus, Hunter, and Heathcock all stake out their own territory, no doubt about it.

Other collections I'm looking forward to reading in the coming months include Miracle Boy and Other Stories by Pinckney Benedict, American Masculine by Shann Ray, Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman, and You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon. This looks to be one of the strongest years for short stories I've seen in about five years.

I've recently finished Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod and This Cake is for the Party: Stories by Sarah Selecky, both were nominated for the Giller (Canadian book prize) so they're not too obscure. I haven't read many short story collections but having read these two, I want to start. These two are ones I would definitely recommend. I'm not a writer myself but I can imagine it's challenging to establish characters and relationships in such a limiting number of words as to make the reader care about them.

I too am looking forward to reading Edith Pearlman's Binocular Vision. She gave a wonderful reading here in New Haven last month.

Joanie,
I've actually got Light Lifting on my desk and was going to mention it along with those other titles. I read a few opening paragraphs from MacLeod's collection and they were very intriguing. Thanks for reminding me about that one.

David wrote: "So far this year, I've read three incredibly strong short story collections: Quiet Americans by Erika Dreifus, Daddy's by Lindsay Hunter, and Alan Heathcock's Volt. Each of them approaches the sho..."

David, did you read Visigoth by Gary Amdahl a few years back? Those were really strong, powerful stories. Won the Milkweed National Fiction Prize.

Sarah,
Visigoth: Stories had not been on my radar. Thank you for putting it there. Hockey + Minnesota + dog sledding + Alaska = CLICK.

David wrote: "Sarah,
Visigoth: Stories had not been on my radar. Thank you for putting it there. Hockey + Minnesota + dog sledding + Alaska = CLICK."

beautifully guy stories- I really love them, though I can only take a couple at a time-

The short stories of Flannery O'Connor have always been my favorite.

@Bibliophile -- Oh, I love Stephen Millhauser. Such a master, such a singular perspective. I just (re)read Charles Baxter's New & Selected Stories, Gryphon, and it's wonderful -- stories so funny and melancholy and artfully constructed that you feel as if some mad genius is just kicking back by a fire and idly telling you secrets. They seem simple and effortlessly told, but the more you look at them, the more dazzled you'll be by Baxter's wisdom and artistry.

Recently finished reading, Volt by Alan Heathcock. Currently reading, Ill Nature by Joy Williams. I was just turned on to Denis Johnson's, "Emergency" from, Jesus' Son.

The only new, as in out in 2011 is, Volt.

Of course, my fellow panelists are the best in the business, but my favorite non-panelist story collection I've read recently is Mavis Gallant's Paris Stories. Hot damn! Mavis is now in her late eighties, I believe, and most of her stories have been reprinted by the New York Review of Books. Every single story cuts like a knife, and brims over with wit and empathy. Check her out!

In terms of contemporary work, I loved Suzanne Rivecca's Death is Not an Option and Patricia Engel's Vida, both of which came out last year. I also find myself frequently going back to The Collected Works of Eudora Welty. I also adore Asali Solomon's Get Down, a short story collection from a few years back.

Recent favorites have been Charles Baxter's Gryphon and Edith Pearlman's Binocular Vision.

Tyler: great books, all. I love Ill Nature. Williams' wit is so savage and unapologetic. I could read her all year. When it comes to Jesus' Son, what amazes me is how he obliterates the whole question of psychological motivation. Those characters are so lost and brain-clouded that they rarely have meaningful motivations; they just have impulses and accidents. That seems like a simple enough point, but when you think about how causality is almost essential to any story, it's kind of amazing that Johnson can make a whole book of stories that sidestep psychological cause and effect and instead just force us to inhabit -- intensely, uncomfortably -- all these separate moments.

Emma, I've heard a lot about Gallant's Paris stories. Now I'll definitely have to get it! Also getting curious about Charles Baxter. Another favorite short story writer of mine is Kelly Link. Magic for beginners and Stranger things happen are both lovely.

While not new, I have Mark Helprin's The Pacific and Other Stories sitting in my pile from the library to read.

I'm reading Hemingway's short stories right now. It's not new, but it's pretty damn good.

I really enjoyed Best Road Yet by Ryan Stone. Fascinating gritty stories about down-on-their-luck characters living in Wynott, a small town in middle America.

That sounds good, Anne. Small towns in middle America seem to be popular settings these days.

This thread reminds me of just how beautiful it is that there are so, so many good books both behind and ahead of us.

I'm currently reading a memoir and a novel, but I just finished two short story collections that were excellent in their own ways: Cut Through the Bone by Ethel Rohan and Normally Special by xTx.

Anastasia wrote: "I'm reading Hemingway's short stories right now. It's not new, but it's pretty damn good."

I know. Hemingway sometimes gets a bad rap, but his short stories are stunning little models of the art. I learn so much from them on every read.

I just read Paris Wife, the novel about Hemingway's first marriage, which is mostly in the first-person voice of that woman, Hadley. The character talks about Hemingway also writing poetry and quotes one poem. I want to find out if he really wrote it (I think most other details in the novel are biographical fact). It was very short and struck me as having the same conciseness and stripped down quality of his stories, just in smaller form.

With an eye to the past masters: An often overlooked master of story telling (when discussing short stories) is William Faulkner. The "Portable Faulkner" is still one of the best collections ever put together. Also, I have again read John Fowles "The Black Tower," also somewhat forgotten. Last but not least, for sheer brilliance in saying so much with so little, I have an ancient collection of stories by Robert Louis Stevenson. It's refreshing to get away from my own time and place as subject matter, which helps me from writing stories that sound like narrated confessions or purloined diary entries.

I just finished "Blood Lite II: Overbite" and it had a few really cool shorts stories with fabulous twists... I really enjoyed it! :)

(A Google alert brought me here--many thanks to the ever-generous David for mentioning my collection.)

Like others above, I'm looking forward to reading Edith Pearlman's new collection (I always enjoy her stories when I see them in journals) and Charles Baxter's book, which I bought immediately after reading J. Chamberlin's appreciation.

I've also just read an advance reading copy (ARC) of correspondence between Eudora Welty & William Maxwell, which has made me determined to go back and read (or reread) their work. Their exchanges about Welty's New Yorker stories, which Maxwell edited, made me hungry to track down each of those pieces, in particular.

I'm reading an excellent anthology entitled: "One World - A Global Anthology of Short Stories" which was put out by The New Internationalist in 2009. All the authors royalties go to Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Contributors include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jhumpa Lahiri and Konstantino Tzikas.

I'm currently (re) reading Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Other Stories. Her stories never fail to amaze me.

Harvey wrote: "I'm reading an excellent anthology entitled: "One World - A Global Anthology of Short Stories" which was put out by The New Internationalist in 2009. All the authors royalties go to Medecins Sans F..."

Harvey, I really liked their collection called Writing on the Edge: Great Contemporary Writers on the Front Line of Crisis- some excellent stories- some in the form of journalism, but all so beautifully told, and all stories I really wanted to hear. I'll have to find the anthology you mentioned

I'm doing a university subject at the moment dedicated to the short story. It's part of an Arts masters and is called 'Short story writing - the reader and the writer.' I have to say I'm new to the short story but I've been required to read around four 4,000 word stories every week for the last ten weeks. I think a stand out story has been 'An occurrence at owl creak crossing.' I don't recall who the writer's name but I'm happy to find out upon request.

Gaston.

To Gaston. Ambrose Bierce. (Check out the movie) To my way of thinking after years of reading and teaching shorts stories, Wm Faulkner's "Rose for Emily" remains the most brilliant short story. How he buries a love story in the midst of the ugly the same way he hides the two mixed race lovers in the heart of racial hatred is astonishing. The most complex and perfect story, for me, ever. Then comes Chekhov's 'The Lady with the Little Dog."

Thank you Charles. The 'Rose for Emily' it will be very soon. I appreciate it.

Gaston

I've been reading and translating a bunch of short stories by French authors. Seven authors got together to play a writing game, where they each contributed an episode to the story. These are some of France's top writers and they set traps for each other and have a lot of fun. It's a really interesting study in short story technique. I'm not supposed to promote here, but they are available free to anyone interested, so just contact me if you are.

Anne wrote: "I've been reading and translating a bunch of short stories by French authors. Seven authors got together to play a writing game, where they each contributed an episode to the story. These are some ..."

I'd love too see those, Anne!

Hi Purple: here's a link: http://www.lefrenchbook.com/our-books...

Anne wrote: "Hi Purple: here's a link: http://www.lefrenchbook.com/our-books..."

Thanks, I'll check it out!

I'm reading the Best American Non-Required Reading 2012 (Dave Eggars, ed). It's not all fiction but there are some short stories in there and it's all fascinating.