Short Story Month 2011: Wrap-up (#ssm2011)

Unless I get around to reading the latest New Yorker story today, this will be final post for Short Story Month 2011. I started out strong, but there was that Blogger outage mid-month, and then I went to a conference, and . . . So I didn’t manage to post every day as I’d originally planned. I didn’t get through all the literary magazines I’d hoped to. And, I didn’t dip into the many short story collections I’ve picked up recently that I’m looking forward to reading.

So, in this final post, let me at least mention some of those.

Burning Man by Ed Falco. I heard Falco read from this collection at the Virginia Festival of the Book this year and I have no doubt the rest of the book is as good as the piece he read. I’ll get to it soon, and I’ll report back.

Right of Way by Andrew Wingfield. Wingfield was sitting next to Falco at that Festival of the Book reading and I’m also really looking forward to digging into this one.

Greetings From Below by David Philip Mullins. David and I were on a panel together at AWP this year, and this collection has been sitting on my credenza since then.

I started Richard Bausch’s new collection—not new anymore—last year after Sewanee. Something is Out There is terrific. I need to finish that one.

The Prospect of Magic by M.O. Walsh. We were fellows together at Sewanee last summer and I’m embarrassed that I haven’t read this yet. He read from it and it was terrific. Must get to it soon!

I recently picked up a collection by a friend, Rarely Well-Behaved by Phyllis Anne Duncan. I’ve heard her read a few pieces from that and I’d really like to read the rest of it.

Then there's The Universe in Miniature in Miniature by Patrick Somerville. Must read that.

And let us not forget A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, which may or may not be stories.

And How to Predict the Weather by Aaron Burch. And The Weather Stations by Ryan Call.

I’ve also recently acquired story collections by T.C. Boyle, Yiyun Li, Aryn Kyle (also a fellow with us at Sewanee last summer), Ann Packer, Steve Yarbrough, Pinckney Benedict, Rick Bass, Justin Cronin . . .

You see the problem. I’ll read them all eventually, I swear. And then I’ll report back.