Anthologies

Original essays from 46 of today's most celebrated writers that explores lit. & the literary life. The reflections range from the craft of writing to the intersection of art & the world. The writers are Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Nat. Book Award recip., best-selling authors & teachers; novelists, poets, & playwrights. Includes: Russell Banks, Saul Bellow, Carolyn Chute, E. L. Doctorowe, Louise Erdrich, Richard Ford, Gail Godwin, Mary Gordon, Gish Jen, Diane Johnson, Jamaica Kincaid, Barbara Kingsolver, Hans Koning, David Mamet, Walter Mosley, Joyce Carol Oates, Marge Piercy, Annie Proulx, Roxana Robinson, James Salter, William Saroyan, Susan Sontag, Scott Turow, John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Alice Walker, & Elie Wiesel.

Full of literary star power and with absolutely nothing out of bounds, these steamy short stories pack a wallop for every sexual taste. Susie Bright is the fearless boundary crosser of contemporary erotica, and The Best American Erotica 2005 features stories of unprecedented literary pedigree and a stunning breadth of imagination. Pulitzer Prize-winner Jane Smiley details a beautiful erotic interlude in an otherwise sordid real estate deal; Mary Gaitskill celebrates the unexpected ardor of one middle-aged couple; Steve Almond reminisces about the best one-man/three-girl Ecstasy party ever; Nelson George recounts the erotic escapades that befall a young man who accompanies a celebrity athlete when he picks up a gaggle of girls; and Carol Queen explores the joys of making love with summer fruit. Readers will also thrill to the year's most stellar stories from every imaginable erotic genre. The class of The Best American Erotica 2005 is changing the rules about writing about sex. It's no longer pulp fiction: it's must-read literature showcasing the best writing around, all packed into the year's sexiest anthology.