The Pushcart Prize XXXIX: Best of the Small Presses 2015 Edition

by Bill Henderson (Editor)

Publishers Weekly in its boxed and starred review of last year s edition of this annual anthology commented With large publishing houses facing an uncertain future, the Pushcart Prize is more valuable than ever in highlighting the unique voices thriving in America s small presses. As David Ulin, Los Angeles Times book critic recently commented on the series: I ve had a love of these anthologies for many years for their diversity, their range of expression and also for their commitment to writing and publishing. Edited with the assistance of over 200 distinguished Contributing Editors including Guest Poetry Editors Eduardo Corral and Claudia Rankine this volume was selected from over 8000 nominations of stories, essays and poetry sent in by hundreds of presses, a complete roster of today s outstanding non-commercial publishers. The Pushcart Prize has been honored by the National Book Critics Circle, Publishers Weekly, Poets & Writers / Barnes & Noble and others, and acclaimed by readers and reviewers internationally."

Genres: Short Stories, Poetry, Essays, Fiction, Anthologies, Literary Fiction

655 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2014

About the author

Bill Henderson (born April 5, 1941) is an American author, editor and publisher best known for his memoirs and the Pushcart Prize series.

Reviews

[Richard Seltzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology can be worth the money and the time to read it if it includes one memorable gem.
For me, the gem in this book is Fables by Bennett Sims, from Conjunctions.
It recounts a short series revelatory encounters between children and common animals. It is unique both in style and content.
A sample memorable phrase:
"... it is as startling as the first sound in creation."
It also included three words that I had never seen before, but that I could decipher from the context.: imbricated, scansorial, couchant.

[Karen Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, a great variety of material in different styles to challenge expectations. Individual stories, articles, and poems blogged at A Just Recompense.

[Alex Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall quality of writing has declined since I first started reading Pushcart many years ago,

[Jason Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Another very strong volume in this wonderful and vibrant annual series.

[Liam Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story and poem is incredible and unique, like entering a gelateria somewhere in Italy and sampling all the flavors.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exceptional year! There were so many I liked.

Top 4:
• Annie Radcliffe, You Are Loved, Barrett Swanson—the vivid intersection of characters’ lives made this feel like an entire movie in the space of a short story
• Animals, Michael Kardos—office life at an unscrupulous call center and loneliness
• The Dance Contest, Wells Tower—force yourself through the baffling beginning to get to the great ending
• By the Time You Read This, Yannick Murphy—best suicide note ever

Other standouts:
• The Zen Thing, Emma Duffy-Comparone—a hyper-realistic family day at the beach; this is an author to watch
• My White House Days, Thomas E Kennedy—coming of age in D.C. in the ‘60’s
• The Mother, Latoya Watkins—fantastic first-person voice
• The Fiction Writer, Maribeth Fischer—this reminded me of Rebecca Scherm’s Unbecoming
• The Last Days of the Baldock, Inara Verzemnieks—memorable story of the long-term residents of a highway rest stop in Oregon; it reminded me of George Saunders with its improbable premise backed by realistic details
• Blue, Russell Banks—I’m not usually a fan of Russell Banks, but I loved this (although I wasn’t surprised that Joyce Carol Oates nominated it, with that ending)
• How She Remembers It, Rick Bass—a father/daughter trip
• Trim Palace, Alexander Maksik—I loved the writing, but there were a few too many loose ends
• Black Plank, Nancy Geyer—a surprisingly affecting meditation on art
• Unmoving Like a Mighty River Stilled, Alan Rossi—an examination of the conflict between our internal and external selves

[derek allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read the Pushcart anthology every year since 2009 and it's always a great overview of what is out there. I've discovered many great writers over the years and have been in awe of some stories / essays / poems I've discovered. This year's anthology was no different. This year's highlights (as I see them) were The Zen Thing by Emma Duffy-Comparone, Annie Radcliffe, You Are Loved by Barrett Swanson, Animals by Michael Kardos and The Dance Contest by Wells Tower ... I'm a sucker for a good stylist / unique way of telling a story and all four of these scratched that itch for me. The only dud in the bunch was the uber pretentious essay Mysteries of Thoreau, Unsolved, by Rebecca Solnit ... I have zero patience for pretentiousness in writing and while I'm sure others read this and enjoyed it I didn't think it fit this collection at all. But that wouldn't stop me from highly recommending this anthology again this year. Kudos to Bill Henderson and all the "People Who Helped" ... you did a good job once again.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best Pushcart book I've read in five years or more-- there's a wider than usual variety of styles, tones, and lengths, which I really appreciated. And I don't mean this as a slight to any genre, but what seemed like the prevailing philosophy of the last several years, that there were equal numbers of notable essays, stories, and poems, felt more like wish-fulfillment than a reflection of the actual work nominated, so I'm glad to see that go by the wayside.

It's still too long, if you ask me, and would be a stronger and more judicious book at two hundred pages less than it is here. But this is definitely a step in the right direction, and it makes me feel more excited about checking out this year's edition.

[JMRL]

Find it at JMRL: http://aries.jmrl.org/record=b1045275~S9