Coolest American Stories 2025

by Mark Wish, Elizabeth Coffey (editor)

America’s most talented storytellers share their most interesting, engaging, unputdownable work in a collection made for story lovers.

The fourth volume of the annual anthology that’s been praised nationwide by readers and numerous award-winning and bestselling authors, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2025 exudes its editors’ philosophy that a collection of widely appealing short stories can make for common ground that could unite rather than divide Americans.

Toward this end, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2025 features a romp of a crime story by multiple Thriller Award winning author Twist Phelan; a poignant yet surprising story about prison life by Pushcart Prize winner Mathieu Cailler; and NYC veteran author Francine Witte's hilarious rom-com about a woman who's obsessed with love and murder both.

And since interesting storytelling―rather than a bunch of publishing credits―matters most to story-hungry readers, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2025 also includes rising star Demond J Blake's Kerouacian, laugh-out-loud tale about a search for meaning in modern-day Southern California; a tense contemporary spy story by gutsy author Philip Cesario; and a shocking portrayal of the emotional effects of American cancel culture by the Canadian writer Mehdi M. Kashani―among others in this treasure trove of unputdownable, sharply written, sometimes comic, sometimes frightening, always suspenseful stories loaded with twists and turns.

322 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2024

Reviews

[Alice Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This craftily curated anthology of short fiction is right up there with Best American Short Stories, full of unforgettable characters, shining prose, and haunting/ poignant/ funny/ startling stories that sweep you along through heartbreak, laughter, shock and gratitude. Highly recommended.

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm a short story fanatic, straight up. I love the form, write them. Devour them. For years I've read Best American for enjoyment and to see where the trends are. Like BASS, Coolest American has the author bios in back along with "how I wrote the story" which is invaluable to me. This 2025 edition is the best yet.

Mark and Elizabeth have a bold vision to expand the reach of the short story. This is long-overdue IMHO. While I'm a literary short story writer, hardcore serious about sentence-making and language (i.e. the kinds of stories that predominate in BASS), there's long been a need for an annual compendium that can reach, as Sandra Cisneros says (paraphrased): "the person on the bus." That doesn't mean stupid stories. It isn't dumbing down and losing all the $20 words. It means what's on the front cover of Coolest: Interesting writing. lt's opening up the in-box to stories that flirt with genre fiction—yet have a literary sheen. Like Good Shoes by Twist Phelan or Dachas by Philip Cesario. Stories that take chances like Punchline by Mehdi M. Kashani and Jump Seat by Linda Bernal.

There's not only room at the table for Coolest American Short Stories. I'm a liberal, progressive "woke" voter. I make no apology for that. But my bullshit detector goes into overdrive when I read stories with a heavyhanded agenda (whatever the political extreme) or sentimentality; another story about characters sitting around "talking about their feelings." Stuff HAPPENS in Coolest American Stories, but they're not plot-driven, there's a unique flair to each voice I can appreciate. And, just as I'm tired of losing the most winnable elections in US history (2016, 2024), I'm tired of tone-deafness and fear when it comes to corporate media—especially with respect to Art and Literature. Buy this book, read it, critique it and savor the stories that speak to you.

[Mike Smolarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read every collection of Coolest American Short Stories and the 2025 edition is another great collection. The thirteen stories in this year's edition are all stories where something happens! The stories that stood out to me in this collection where "You Know, You Can Die From That," by Francine Witte, "Animal Control," by Kathleen Jurin, and "Punchline," by Mehdi M. Kashani. Do yourself a favor and read this collection.

[Amy Bonesteel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest well-curated collection has a range of stories, all chronicling the human existence. My favorites include “Animal Control” by Kathleen Furin - a heart-breaker that is like an episode of the TV show “Hoarders” meeting “CSI” on the way to the kill shelter and “Jump Seat” (Linda Bernal), an examination of a mother’s grief. Congrats to editors on yet another fine, entertaining collection

[Michael Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Riverside native/former high school dropout/ retired burnout, reading Demond Blake’s ‘The Source’ entry in this collection of cool(est) short stories had me feeling like I’d known the central character 20+ years. Intimate, charming read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read a lot of short stories, but this was an interesting and enjoyable read. Many perspectives—from a prisoner to a policeman to an Iranian comedian. My favorites were Hearts, Good Shoes, and Mass (of course). Love that the authors describe “the story behind the story” in the author notes.

[Sandy Smithers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, clever stories, fun characters, interesting and smart plots.

[Mollie St. John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an eclectic anthology that I really enjoyed. I especially loved Hearts by Mathieu Cailler — totally destroyed me in the best ways.