An Inventory

by Joan Wickersham

A Vintage Shorts “Short Story Month” Selection   In this witty and moving work of short fiction, “you” recall the romantic interests you had once pined for, crushed on from afar, kissed, and never forgot. Exploring the forces of attraction as well as the tender reaches of the heart, Joan Wickersham chronicles these brief episodes from a young woman’s history, from Boy 1 in the block corner of a kindergarten classroom to Boy 23. Originally published by One Story and chosen for The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2015, this selection is a generous meditation on the varieties and endurance of love.   An ebook short.

28 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2016

About the author

Joan Wickersham was born in New York City. She is the author of two previous books, most recently The Suicide Index, a National Book Award finalist. Her fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Her op-ed column appears regularly in The Boston Globe; she has published essays and reviews in the Los Angeles Times and the International Herald Tribune; and she has contributed on-air essays to National Public Radio. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, and Yaddo. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is one of my favorites. News From Spain blew me away and I was THRILLED to see this new(ish) story. I loved it. A history of 'your' crushes and loves started with Boy 1 in kindergarten and ending with Boy 23. So much of her writing rang true to me - as if the 'you' WAS really me. Loved it.