An essay in which Roxane Gay reveals how she chose the short stories for inclusion in Best American Short Stories 2018 — with an eye toward writing that engaged with the political in thoughtful, engaging, diverse and inclusive ways.
short stories
Posted inBooks, Profiles & Interviews, Story, Writing
I Would Never Say That, But the Character, He Said It: An Interview with Catherine Lacey
“When I write, I’m creating a character, and then I’m just performing that character, and typing what they say.”
Posted inBooks, Fiction, Story
Masters of Contradiction
Two new books offer fresh perspective on “Otherhood,” that condition in which characters do constant, exhausting battle — for the most part — inside their own heads.
Posted inFiction, Quotes
‘They’ve Forked Baby Hitler’
High-stakes time travel adventure from sci-fi writer Jo Lindsay Walton.
Posted inFiction, Reading List
10 Outstanding Short Stories to Read in 2018
Must-read stories from Han Kang, Porochista Khakpour, and Min Jin Lee.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes, Writing
Why Fiction Haunts Us: Pulitzer Prize Winner Viet Thanh Nguyen on His Ghosts
Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen talks about how ghosts and authors of fiction share a similar role in today’s culture.
Posted inFiction, Quotes
‘Because pretending was sometimes the only way to get through the day.’
A teacher helping fidgety students pass a rainy recess with a familiar game — don’t touch the floor, it’s lava! — finds that the ability to pretend takes on an unexpected gravity.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Floor is Lava
“Because children needed to play, to let their imaginations explode. Because pretending was sometimes the only way to get through the day.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Steven’s First Limo Ride
Steven is both the young protagonist’s stuffed frog and new little brother in this piece of short fiction about a troubled family, told from the blunt, optimistic point of view of a 10-year-old.
Posted inFiction, Quotes
The Trump Story Project
Slate is running short stories by contemporary writers based in an imagined “Trump’s America.”