by Edan Lepucki
First published 2019
A diverse anthology emerges from the weekly meetings of high school students gathered in a San Francisco publishing house basement. These young curators spent a year examining hundreds of poems, stories, comics, and essays to identify the most revealing and honest writing of 2019. Working alongside New York Times bestselling author Edan Lepucki, they assembled a collection that captures their generation's perspective on the world around them. The anthology spans from comics exploring war and humor to stories featuring pizza delivery workers, family dynamics, and surreal scenarios involving anthropomorphic lakes and dolls. Contributors include acclaimed writers like Viet Thanh Nguyen, Charles Johnson, Robin Coste Lewis, and Garth Greenwell alongside emerging voices. The students selected pieces that reflect the complexity of their contemporary moment, creating a literary snapshot that feels authentically connected to 2019's cultural landscape.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, anthologies, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
Setting: San Francisco
Period: 2019
272 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books