First published 2021
This collection presents twelve emerging writers who won the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for their debuts in literary magazines. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Beth Piatote served as judges, selecting these stories from hundreds of submissions. Each story showcases a different voice and style, representing the diversity of contemporary short fiction. The original magazine editors introduce each piece, explaining their selection process and what drew them to publish these particular writers. These commentaries reveal how literary magazines discover new talent and the editorial decisions that shape emerging voices. The collection captures the current moment in American short fiction, highlighting writers who represent the future of the form. Each story demonstrates the innovation and fresh perspectives that these debut authors bring to literature.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, anthologies, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: diverse-voices, emerging-writers, new-perspectives
Period: 21st-Century
224 pages · Paperback · Catapult