New Stories From The South Books

A suburban Midwesterner describes the lifestyles he and his wife encountered after they moved to rural South Carolina, relating how they grew to love Southern small town living

Seventeen stories by Alison Baker, Larry Brown, Mary Ward Brown, James Lee Burke, Robert Olen Butler, Nanci Kincaid, Patricia Lear, Dan Leone, Reginald McKnight, Karen Minton, Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, Robert Morgan, Susan Perabo, Padgett Powell, Lee Smith, Peter Taylor, Abraham Verghese.

Eighteen stories by Richard Bausch, Pinckney Benedict, Wendell Berry, Robert Olen Butler, Lee Merrill Byrd, Kevin Calder, Tony Earley, Paula K. Gover, David Huddle, Barbara Hudson, Elizabeth Hunnewell, Dennis Loy Johnson, Edward Jones, Wayne Karlin, Dan Leone, Jill McCorkle, Annette Sanford, and Peter Taylor.

Sixteen stories by Frederick Barthelme, Richard Bausch, Ethan Canin, Kathleen Cushman, Tony Earley, Pamela Erbe, Barry Hannah, Nanci Kincaid, Nancy Krusoe, Robert Morgan, Reynolds Price, Leon Rooke, John Sayles, George Singleton, Melanie Sumner, and Robert Love Taylor.

The authors in the 1995 volume of NEW STORIES include R. Sebastian Bennett, Wendy Brenner, James Lee Burke, Robert Olen Butler, Ken Craven, Tim Gautreaux, Ellen Gilchrist, Scott Gould, Barry Hannah, MMM Hayes, Hillary Hebert, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Caroline A. Langston, Lynn Marie, Susan Perabo, Dale Ray Phillips, and Elizabeth Spencer.

Along with a new story by William Faulkner, the authors of the 1996 edition include Robert Olen Butler, Moira Crone, Janice Daugharty, J. D. Dolan, Ellen Douglas, Kathy Flann, Tim Gautreaux, David Gilbert, Marica Guthridge, Jill McCorkle, Robert Morgan, Tom Paine, Susan Perabo, Annette Sanford, and Lee Smith.

The twelfth volume of the annual anthology is packed with nineteen entertaining stories. From a cautionary tale about the difficulties of loving a space alien to a new twist on a young Southerner's struggle in the wilds of Manhattan, these stories range from the hilarious to the poignant. The preface, by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Robert Olen Butler, looks at what fiction is: "Fiction is, at its heart, the art form of human yearning." The authors in the 1997 edition of New Stories are Gene Able, Dwight Allen, Edward Allen, Robert Olen Butler, Janice Daugharty, Ellen Douglas, Pam Durban, Charles East, Rhian Margaret Ellis, Tim Gautreaux, Elizabeth Gilbert, Lucy Hochman, Beauvais McCaddon, Dale Ray Phillips, Patricia Elam Ruff, Lee Smith, Judy Troy, Marc Vassallo, and Brad Vice.

THE ONLY ANNUAL ANTHOLOGY SHOWCASING THE BEST SHORT FICTION WRITTEN IN AND ABOUT THE SOUTH. With a preface by Padgett Powell. The thirteenth edition of NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH proves that literature from and about the South continues to evolve. Whether it's a surreal meditation by a man on night watch in contact with everything from space aliens to a charming Southern belle, or how life looks to two stock boys in a grocery store, or the stories hidden within the covert language of an art book, or the intricate jealousies that both cement and divide two couples, this newest collection of nineteen stories is proof positive that the literature of the South refuses to be pigeonholed. This year's contributors include well-established writers such as Mark Richard, Stephen Dixon, and Tim Gautreaux, in addition to original new voices carving out their own niches in ways that bode well for the future of Southern literature. Padgett Powell's preface answers, on its own terms, the question "What Southern Literature Is." And each selection includes the story behind the story, giving readers a window into the mind of the writer. We continue to include an updated list of magazines consulted by the editor, along with a complete list of all the stories selected each year since the inception of the series in 1986. The 1998 edition features the following standout writers: Josh Russell, Wendy Brenner, John Holman, Tim Gautreaux, Mark Richard, Enid Shomer, Sara Powers, Molly Best Tinsley, Frederick Barthelme, Tony Earley, Padgett Powell, Nancy Richard, Michael Gills, George Singleton, Annette Sanford, Stephen Marion, Jennifer Moses, Scott Ely, Stephen Dixon. "Ravenel has shown a canny ability to spot emerging talent . . . and time and again has included stories by writers before their novels widened their fame."--The Anniston Star; "For readers who love short stories, finding one really good one is a pleasure. NEW STORIES is full of them."--St. Petersburg Times.

It was an anthology that began simply enough: as a way to gather together the best kinds of writing going on in the South. It was also a way, back then, for editor Shannon Ravenel to keep tabs on who was writing what. Some of those voices that she heard first are now well-known: Barbara Kingsolver, Robert Olen Butler, Marly Swick, Rick Bass, Abraham Verghese, James Lee Burke, Larry Brown. Our goal is still the same-to find the most original and affecting stories. And this year, in our newest tradition, we're pleased to include a preface by Tony Earley, which calls into question the message of one of the most-anthologized Southern stories of our time. The 1999 edition gathers stories by: Michael Knight, Pinckney Benedict, Richard Schmitt, Clyde Edgerton, Andrew Alexander, Mary Clyde, Richard Bausch, Tony Earley, Michael Erard, Rick DeMarinis, Heather Sellers, Kurt Rheinheimer, Ingrid Hill, William Gay, Janice Daugharty, Mary Gordon, George Singleton, Tom Franklin Laura Payne Butler, and Wendy Brenner. An indispensable resource for aspiring writers, students, and readers of Southern fiction, New Stories from the South also includes the story behind each story. We continue to offer an updated list of magazines consulted by the editor, along with a complete list of all the stories selected each year since the series' inception, in 1986.

Whether it's the bodybuilder who picks up energy in the air, the rich girl who sees potential in the beer-drinking factory worker at her father's cardboard plant, the girl who turns against her evangelist father to find the real Jesus, the aunt with a withered arm who may have influenced Flannery O'Connor, the feminist scholar trying to reason with a good old boy, or the young MFA student determined to write a good story, this year's collection is about the connections these Southerners will to happen. Each story, as Ellen Douglas's thoughtful preface says, testifies to our need to "feel and understand the significance of the buzzing blooming dying chaos of our experience." This fifteenth edition is rich with unforgettable characters and full of great moments of comedy and tragedy. Twenty writers tell their stories in this year's NSFS: A. Manette Ansay, Wendy Brenner, D. Winston Brown, Robert Olen Butler, Cathy Day, R.H.W. Dillard, Tony Earley, Clyde Edgerton, William Gay, Tim Gautreaux, Allan Gurganus, John Holman, Romulus Linney, Thomas H. McNeely, Christopher Miner, Chris Offutt, Margo Rabb, Karen Sagstetter, Mary Helen Stefaniak, Melanie Sumner Each selection is accompanied by a look into the origin of the story. Readers will also find an updated list of magazines consulted by the editor for this edition and a complete list of all the stories selected each year since the series' genesis in 1986.

It would be easy to describe the stories in this year's collection as typically Southern, if we only knew what that was. As Lee Smith writes in her engaging and provocative preface, the South is both as it always was and profoundly different. Some things have stayed the same: "As a whole, we Southerners are still religious, and we are still violent. We'll bring you a casserole, but we'll kill you, too." And some things have changed: many a Southerner spends more time in the mall than the kitchen, and many a Southerner is really a displaced Northerner. Still, there's something about life below the Mason-Dixon line that leads to evocative, hilarious, moving, authentic, rip-your-heart-out stories.Maybe it's true, as Lee Smith says, that "narrative is as necessary to us as air." Maybe narrative is in the air. This year's collection ranges from small vacant towns to thriving Southern cities, tracking the likes of a violent paperhanger, an ambitious fiddler, a failed adman, and a boy who kidnaps his schoolbus driver.Nineteen standout writers make appearances in this year's volume: John Barth, Madison Smartt Bell, Marshall Boswell, Carrie Brown, Stephen Coyne, Moira Crone, William Gay, Jim Grimsley, Ingrid Hill, Christie Hodgen, Nicola Mason, Edith Pearlman, Kurt Rheinheimer, Jane R. Shippen, George Singleton, Robert Love Taylor, James Ellis Thomas, Elizabeth Tippens, Linda Wendling.Each story is followed by an author's note. Readers will also find an updated list of magazines consulted by Ravenel and a complete list of all the stories selected each year since the inception of the series in 1986.

Many famous writers later (James Lee Burke, Barbara Kingsolver, Larry Brown, Tony Earley, William Gay), Ravenel still combs through over one hundred journals and magazines, regional and national, large and small, in search of the most talented authors coming out of the South. She still tracks down the newest voices before their breakouts, collecting the best renditions of the short-story genre. New Stories from the South has become sine qua non in creative-writing classes, in Southern-literature classes, for any serious writer following the competition, and above all, for any lover of Southern literature.The stories in the eighteenth volume of NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH carry on that tradition. Among the eighteen writers making their mark in this year's volume are Michael Knight, Donald Hays, John Dufresne, ZZ Packer, and Chris Offutt. This year's preface is by the preeminent Southern humorist and NPR regular Roy Blount, Jr.Each story is followed by the author's note about its origin. Readers will also find an updated list of magazines consulted by the editor, and a complete list of all the stories selected each year since the series' inception.

As it approaches its twentieth year, Shannon Ravenel's anthology has taken on a kind of cult status among readers, writers, teachers of short fiction, and trend watchers. It was here that some of the most well-respected voices of the last two decades were first recognized, here that writers tell us they were discovered by agents, here that they landed their first book deals. And for readers looking for fresh, exciting short fiction, here is where they'll find it. Ravenel has once again put together a stellar lineup of stories that makes this anthology not just a mark of distinction for writers, but a must-have for short-story aficionados and lovers of Southern fiction. The stories in the nineteenth volume of New Stories from the South continue to spotlight the jewels of the South, both discovered and on the verge, featuring Edward P. Jones, George Singleton, Chris Offutt, Annette Sanford, Rick Bass, Silas House, Starkey Flythe, Michael Knight, and more. Each story is followed by the author's note about its origin. With a preface by bestselling writer Tim Gautreaux, this volume promises to be another collector's edition.

Over the past two decades, New Stories from the South has been identified as “one of the most significant and eagerly anticipated annual collections of American short stories” (Booklist). The quality of the selections and the skill of its editor have been lauded: “Excitingly original stories from new and recently emergent writers make this now-venerable annual a must for readers who mean to keep up with contemporary short fiction. . . . Ravenel is one of the most resourceful and intelligent editors in the business” (Kirkus Reviews, starred). And NPR commentator Alex Chadwick sums it up best when he calls New Stories “A good answer to the question, 'Why read fiction?'”(NPR's Morning Edition).It's in these pages that readers first encountered many of the writers whose work they've now followed and enjoyed for years, and where they continue to find the freshest voices on the verge of stardom. In the 2005 volume, Ravenel treats us to works by Robert Olen Butler, Dennis Lehane, Moira Crone, Tom Franklin, Michael Parker, Rebecca Soppe, and Bret Anthony Johnston, among many others, and a preface by the inimitable Jill McCorkle.Whether it's a young woman taking her teacher to task for favoring his more beautiful students, or a couple on the edge of despair with their colicky baby, or a neighbor who takes too much interest in the girl next door, these selections illustrate the ways in which a good story can electrify a reader.

Since 1986, New Stories from the South has brought the best short fiction of the year to the attention of a national audience. The series has been called “the collection others should use as a model” (the Charlotte Observer), and for twenty years it has held to that standard. When Anne Tyler helped us celebrate the first ten years of the series in Best of the South, 1986–1995, the reviews were ecstatic. “A triumph of authentic voices and unforgettable characters,” said Southern Living. “An introduction to some of the best writers in the world today,” raved the Northwest Arkansas Times. Now that the anthology has reached its twentieth birthday, Anne Tyler has done it again. From the 186 stories found in the ten volumes from 1996 to 2005, she has picked her favorites and introduced them with warmth, insight, and her own brand of quiet literary authority. Once again, her choices reflect her love of the kind of generous fiction she has called “spendthrift.”Here are twenty stories-by both famous and first-time writers, from Lee Smith and Max Steele to Gregory Sanders and Stephanie Soileau-that hold nothing back.; Invalid Reading Level code.

This year, acclaimed short-story writer ZZ Packer chooses twenty distinctive stories representing the great number of voices and narratives coming out of the South. Some of the youngest and freshest talents on the literary horizon-Bret Anthony Johnston, Kevin Brockmeier, Holly Goddard Jones-accompany well-known Southern stalwarts, including Pinckney Benedict, Clyde Edgerton, and Ron Rash. Their stories tell of life as it is now, a life not seen in romanticized Southern fiction, one where existence-both urban and rural-is as raw and risky as it is alluring. The energy of this collection courses through every one of Packer's edgy, funny, and gritty selections.

This year, acclaimed short-story writer ZZ Packer chooses twenty distinctive stories representing the great number of voices and narratives coming out of the South. Some of the youngest and freshest talents on the literary horizon—Bret Anthony Johnston, Kevin Brockmeier, Holly Goddard Jones—accompany well-known Southern stalwarts, including Pinckney Benedict, Clyde Edgerton, and Ron Rash. Their stories tell of life as it is now, a life not seen in romanticized Southern fiction, one where existence—both urban and rural—is as raw and risky as it is alluring. The energy of this collection courses through every one of Packer's edgy, funny, and gritty selections.

This year, acclaimed short-story writer ZZ Packer chooses twenty distinctive stories representing the great number of voices and narratives coming out of the South. Some of the youngest and freshest talents on the literary horizon-Bret Anthony Johnston, Kevin Brockmeier, Holly Goddard Jones-accompany well-known Southern stalwarts, including Pinckney Benedict, Clyde Edgerton, and Ron Rash. Their stories tell of life as it is now, a life not seen in romanticized Southern fiction, one where existence-both urban and rural-is as raw and risky as it is alluring. The energy of this collection courses through every one of Packer's edgy, funny, and gritty selections.

In the twenty-fourth volume of this distinguished anthology, Madison Smartt Bell chooses twenty-one distinctive pieces of short fiction to tell the story of the South as it is now. This is a South that is still recognizable but no longer predictable. As he says, "to the traditional black and white recipe (ever a tricky and volatile mixture) have been added new shades and strains from Asia and Central and South America and just about everywhere else on the shrinking globe." Just as Katrina brought out into the open all the voices of New Orleans, so the South is now many things, both a distinctive region and a place of rootlessness. It's these contradictions that Madison Smartt Bell has captured in this provocative and moving collection of stories. Here you'll find the well-known―Wendell Berry, Elizabeth Spencer, Jill McCorkle―alongside those writers just making their debuts, in stories that show the South we always thought we knew, making itself over, and over.

Over the past twenty-five years, New Stories from the South has published the work of now well-known writers, including James Lee Burke, Andre Dubus, Barbara Kingsolver, John Sayles, Joshua Ferris, and Abraham Verghese and nurtured the talents of many others, including Larry Brown, Jill McCorkle, Brock Clarke, Lee Smith, and Daniel Wallace. This twenty-fifth volume reachs out beyond the South to one of the most acclaimed short story writers of our day. Guest editor Amy Hempel admits, “I've always had an affinity for writers from the South,” and in her choices, she's identified the most inventive, heartbreaking, and chilling stories being written by Southerners all across the country. From the famous (Rick Bass, Wendell Berry, Elizabeth Spencer, Wells Tower, Padgett Powell, Dorothy Allison, Brad Watson) to the finest new talents, Amy Hempel has selected twenty-five of the best, most arresting stories of the past year. The 2010 collection is proof of the enduring vitality of the short form and the vigor of this ever-changing yet time-honored series.