First published 2016
High school students gather weekly in a San Francisco publishing house conference room, armed with literary magazines, chapbooks, and graphic novels. They draw cartoons on whiteboards between reading sessions, sorting through countless submissions with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Working alongside peers from Ann Arbor and guest editor Rachel Kushner, they face the challenge of selecting pieces that represent the year's most compelling nonrequired reading. Their final collection spans wildly different territories: Bulgarian spacecraft, therapeutic psychedelic experiences, and an Iowa cyclorama that most readers have never encountered. The anthology includes work from N.R. Kleinfield, Anna Kovatcheva, Dan Hoy, Anthony Marra, Michael Pollan, Marilynne Robinson, Dana Spiotta, Adrian Tomine, and Inara Verzemnieks. The students navigate the responsibility of choosing what deserves attention in a literary landscape overflowing with options. Their selections reflect both youthful curiosity and serious editorial judgment, creating a collection that bridges experimental writing with accessible storytelling.
Genres: literary-fiction, anthologies, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Iowa
Period: 2016
432 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books