The 2020 Short Story Advent Calendar

The Short Story Advent Calendar

by Michael Hingston (Editor)

This is the standard edition slipcase of the calendar. For the special edition slipcase please go here.

You know the drill by now. The 2020 Short Story Advent Calendar is a deluxe box set of individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America.

This year's slipcase is a thing of beauty, too, with electric-yellow lining and spot-glossed lettering. It also comes wrapped in two rubber bands to keep those booklets snug in their beds.

Genres: Short Stories, Christmas

375 pages, Chapbooks in slipcase

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Michael Hingston is the author of Try Not to Be Strange, Let's Go Exploring, and The Dilettantes, and co-publisher of Hingston & Olsen Publishing. His journalism has appeared in Wired, National Geographic, the Washington Post, and The Guardian. Hingston lives with his family in Edmonton, Alberta.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll say of this what I’ve said in my reviews of the previous four years’ calendars (besides the calendar itself, my sentiment has become a tradition): This was so much fun! I'll miss having a new short story to open every morning. Sadly, I now have to add that I’ll miss the calendar itself, as the publishing company announced this is its last year, as they focus on other endeavors.

I’m tempted to say this has been the best calendar of them all (a couple of the stories even include some art), though maybe I’d say that of any of the calendars I’d read most recently.

Here are a few highlights for this final year:

“Aviary” by Lysley Tenorio: A story of the have-nothings versus those who have-way-too-much in the Philippines. I’m now interested in reading his collection, Monstress: Stories.

“Vera Something” by Adam O'Fallon Price: I find stories of missed opportunities and what-ifs painful but deeply satisfying, and this one was no exception.

“Our Humans” by Meng Jin: A beautifully written, thoughtful, speculative story about time and memory.

A common theme emerged throughout the calendar: Connections, including missed- and no- connections, as well as the human need to construct connections through narrative.

[cardulelia carduelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's time for the Hingston and Olsen Short Story Advent Calendar again!! And 2020 is a very special year because, six years after its inception, this marks the last SSAC from H&O. At least that what they've announced. I'm secretly hoping they'll keep doing it in a slightly different format indefinitlely because I look forward to it so much!
Anyway, enough nostalgia, what about the 2020 SSAC?? It's great, I liked so many of the stories this year and was very happy to see how many were relatively new either written in the past year or a few years prior. This also meant we got author interviews on the SSAC website (scroll to the bottom of the page) close to every day!
My top stories this year were either very strange or descriptive, and maybe closer to flash fiction.
In joint 1st place:
. * Day 3: A Famous Man by Kathryn Scanlon
. * Day 14: The Professor by Sabrina Orah Mark
. * Day 20: The Decade I Kept Getting Stabbed by John Jodzio
Second place stories took me on a journey:
. - Day 2: The Aviary by Lysley Tenorio
. - Day 6: The The Final Days of Father Troll by Alexander Weinstein
. - Day 15: The Game by Kris Bertin
. - Day 16: In the MIST of everything by Hilary Leichter
Runner up stories were also excellent:
. = Day 8: Reflections by Sofia Samatar
. = Day 10: Vera Something by Adam O'Fallon Price
. = Day 13: Our Humans by Meng Jin

I would read a novel by any of these authors, and in fact I intend to! The stories I didn't like this year either just didn't appeal to a style I enjoyed (stories 1 and 17) or were far too depressing for a festive collection (stories 5 and 7) or bored me (21). Given that so many stories were to my taste this year though, it has to be 4.5 stars rounded up!
Here's a quick review for each story, in order. Merry Christmas and happy holidays. See you in 2021!

=================================================================
And so begins December 1st: 'Over the plum-pudding', published in 1901 by John Kendrick Bangs is a literary satire of the authors of the day and their lost manuscript. Very on the nose given the collection it's published in ;)

Day 2 and the Aviary by Lysley Tenorio. I loved this story. The descriptions and perspective made for a stylized apocalyptic atmosphere. It's a great story for day 2 with its message of disparate wealth and protest. Because its a new short story it's also got an interview with the author who said it's based on a true story! Day 2 >> Day 1 so far.

Day 3 is: A Famous Man by Kathryn Scanlon. Wow, this is going to be in my top three stories, for sure. It's essentially just a collection of descriptions and atmospheric moments. There's no real plot just an impression of a person treading in the footsteps of the childhood of a famous man in his town. I loved this so much. This story alone has made the calendar worth it.

Day 4: Four minutes and 33 pairs of sweatpants by Martin Riker. The story of 3 artists in some sort of feud over form over content. And music plays a part, but only in the lack of it.
I liked the idea of the central performance piece around which the story was themed and in general found it all a bit pretentious, which was probably the point.
After reading the author interview I think it succeeded in its aim.

Day 5: Fast hands, Fast Feet by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
This is an upsetting, fast-paced look into the life of a 15 year old girl living on the streets in some unnamed urban area. It's pretty sad and I really felt for the character.
The narrative voice used has an odd patois that I couldn't place. The author doesn't address it in his interview so we're left guessing. A sad story, not one I'll return to.

Day 6 is The Final Days of Father Troll by Alexander Weinstein. This is a high-fantasy story about trolls. Mostly it just reminded me of the animated series Hilde. The writing was sharp and the story cosy despite its sadness. I have a short story collection by this guy so I'm looking forward to that even more now!

The 7th of December is The Cut by Catherine Lacey. Boy oh boy was that depressing. Imagine all the things you fear for yourself in old age minus physical illness: that's what this book is. Avoid."

Day 8 was Reflections by Sofia Samatar, inspired by a photo for an art book. The writing in both of the parallel stories is exquisite and I'm glad I already own one of her books.

The story for day 9 is The Parade for the Dead and the Dying by Kelly Luce. It starts off quite absurd but ends on a more melancholy note. I really enjoyed this!"

Day 10 was Vera Something by Adam O'Fallon Price. Gosh this was sad. A man who, after a romantic evening, dedicates himself to finding the woman he met. And eventually life moves on without him. Cracking bit of writing but terribly sad.

Day 11 is very short, Must Be Peopled by David Burr Gerrard. Oh boy this is a little bit epic and I think something that all of us have wanted to do at some point on social media: tell people what we really think of them? Funny, with that bitter undertone.

Day 12 (up-to-date, hurrah!) is A History of Heart Disease by Amber Sparks. Perfect little short story. 4 pages and an entire life and character laid out on the page.

Day 13 is Our Humans by Meng Jin. It has great atmosphere. It's set in a future city in the West, narrated by a local originally from Shanghai. And also Yanyang, a little girl. And they turn into shadows? According to Jin: "Time, longing, memory, technology, & what physical distance/place feel like when we've displaced much of our living into technology-enabled nonphysical spaces.

Day 14, the Professor by Sabrina Orah Mark. This was just beautiful and I wasn't at all surprised to find out the author is a poet. As the professor speaks, dry leaves fall from her mouth, she wears one earring that is a dangling globe of faded earth.

The Game by Kris Bertin on Day 15. Wow, that was intense and fascinating. This has academia and mysticisms and curses and self-destruction. Wow.

Day 16! In the MIST of everything by Hilary Leichter. In 6 pages this book introduced; 12 characters, 4 intersecting plotlines, and an apocalypse. That is very impressive. Jeez SSAC is so good this year, I'm really going to miss it in 2021.

Day 17 was Ersatz Panda by Lucy Ives. This starts off with an intriguing story about a cat that gets stolen but then becomes very referential and dull. Not for me.

Day 18: Happy Anniversary by Adam Sterbergh. An evening from the perspective of two different people at the same point in their marriage. Too real. Very depressing. Good story.

Day 19! The Snowstorm by Alexander Pushkin - at first a dull tale that ends with a nice little surprise.

Day 20 - only 5 books left! - yielded a modern 3.2 page story, The Decade I Kept Getting Stabbed by John Jodzio. I really enjoyed this absurd little tale. Honestly who wouldn't want a super knife to cut the salami with?

Day 21 is Our Day of Grace by Jim Shepherd, reminding us that the civil war was terrible and that war is terrible I guess? Pretty bleak story..

>Day 22 - the ones we carry with us by Sara O'Leary.That last bit got me, where she takes the photo of the old lady's son :(

Only 2 stories to go! Day 23 was Bone to his Bone by E.G. swain. A fantastic little ghost story in a vicaridge library at midnight.

Day 24 was A Portrait of an Unnamed Man by Edward Carey. This was suitably grimey and dystopian to appear in a christmas eve collection.

Aaaand the 25th: The George Spelvin Players by Rebecca Makkai. A story about very twisted celebrities and petty amateur dramatics. #SSAC2020 is over!

[Houlcroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The opening story was a clever set-up for the collection, and set a nice tone for the 25 tales but, ultimately, I felt that there were more middling stories than there were stand-outs. Don’t get me wrong, the concept of the Short Story Advent Calendar is spectacular and I’ll be the first in line if they bring it back, but stories like ‘Reflections’, ‘Our Humans’ and ‘The Professor’ seemed to slow the collection down, and I couldn’t even finish ‘Our Day of Grace’.
I adored ‘Must Be Peopled’, ‘Parade for the Dead and Dying’ and ‘The Decade I Kept on Getting Stabbed’ for their dry, sardonic wit, but ultimately there were only a few tales whose words have stuck with me.
Maybe I craved something more escapist and less dramatic, and the more realistic, human-centric nature of the majority of these of these stories just didn’t do it for me, but all that aside, I still woke up every morning excited to see what was next and that is what I needed.

[Desmond Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s that time of the year again!

Despite this most unprecedented year, we return to traditions when all is chaos.

Canadian literary fans await with eager anticipation every December for this annual treat. Come December 1st, we break the seal to the first story of this years Short Story Advent Calendar!

A publication of Highston and Olsen (H + O), among the more usual dark fairy tales, whimsy and wordplay, this year struck accord to themes poignant to 2020: mortality, relationships, social media and mental health.

H + O are independent publishers based in Edmonton. This is the sixth year they have produced a bespoke box set of 24 individual short stories. Truly a work of art in it’s own right, a small community has developed as followers read the daily story and then take to twitter to reflect together.

In typical Canadian bonhomie the exchange is warmly positive where literature is celebrated regardless.

The publishers pride themselves in bringing an eclectic mix of genre and styles to challenge jaded sensibilities. The joy is unmatched with the anticipation of cracking open the next mysterious story. This year is no different. While there are dark fairy tales of a troll (Alexander Weinstein) or the traditional ghost stories of a lost soul (‘Bone to his Bone’ E.G. Swain), more contemporary themes are explored.

A surprise was securing a contribution from Adam Sternberg (recent author of the dystopian thriller ‘The Blinds’) who provided a very juicy teaser of his next book. A troubled marriage hints at much, much more with ‘Happy Anniversary’.

This year edition was particularly notable for highlighting universal themes of the human condition. Stories which resonated well beyond the page of the year we all faced in 2020. Sara O’ Leary (‘The Ones We Carry with Us’) and Kelly Luce (‘Parade of the Dead and Dying’) provided moving stores dealing with the effects of mortality. A fresh twist on the ‘Diceman’ coda provided a sobering take on mental health as two writers navigate life by the die. Kris Bertin ‘The Game’ shows that the facade we present betrays the unknown. A theme picked up also in the equally rich ‘The George Spelvin Players’ by Rebecca Makkai.

The reasons why an ex - TV soap star joins a basement theatre company are equally mysterious and disturbing.

In echoing these themes, two authors provide tales of the perils of social media. Meng Jin (‘Our Humans’) and David Burr Gerard ‘Must Be Peopled’ highlight the legacy we leave and the appeal to troll others.

Once again, another collection of rich and varied selection of historical and contemporary literature. A gift at this time of year and a cherished tradition to many. So it is extremely sad to hear that the publishers announced prior to this years release, that this would the final edition.

Appeals via twitter while received by the publishers with gratitude were firmly concluded with ‘Oh, we have other plans’.

A literary avoidance of the possible doomed inevitability of ‘Jump the Shark’? No. The standard has been consistently outstanding throughout the last six years. Which makes this announcement all the more bittersweet. A wonderful tradition bringing together a very merry band of fellow readers who will all be sadly missed.

But there is a sense that Highston and Olsen just might have an inevitable trick up their literary sleeve yet again. This reader sincerely hopes so.

Thank you for six great years of imagination. Bravo! 10/10

[Richelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar short story collection. The last one! The Final Days of Father Troll was the highlight for me, but The Cut, Happy Anniversary, and The Snowstorm were memorable.
Sweet collections beautifully presented.

[Barbara McVeigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

My top four stories from the 2020 edition, in order of appearance:
-“Aviary” by Lysley Tenorio
-“Reflections” by Sofia Samatar
-“Vera Something” by Adam O’Fallon Price
-“Our Humans” by Meng Jin

Loved how this year’s collection had detectible reoccurring themes, motifs, and the game of Boggle.

[Caylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life got in the way and I wasn’t able to keep up with reading one a day but I did enjoy this short story collection. This was my first time reading it and am sad to hear this is the last one. I might have to go back and try to track down the past years! For me there were stories all over the spectrum in terms of liking-disliking, but ultimately I enjoyed the experience so much I gave it 4 stars. Standout stories:

4,5 - good
6 - excellent
10 - excellent
13 - weird but compelling
14 - weird AF
16 - so complex for a short story! Great
18 - great
21 - excellent
22- excellent
25 - excellent

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boyfriend's parents love Advent Calendars, and they know I love reading, so this is what they got me this Advent.

I scored each 1-10, with a total of 195/250 = 0.78

I'll admit the first one I did not like at all, and was a tad concerned as to what I'd gotten into. However, there were some lovely stories! My favorite was the 2nd one-- will be reading more from that author.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Ersatz Panda
"I'm convinced it's people with no imagination who have the least idea of what's going on and therefore live in bliss."

[Brandon Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to miss these so much if this is truly the last hurrah from the geniuses at Hingston & Olsen. This collection both started and ended with great short stories, and the overall quality of the stories in the middle were the finest they’ve ever been. There were a few clunkers, but that’s inevitable in any collection, and they were more than offset by the gems here. Of particular note for me were FAST HANDS, FAST FEET by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, VERA SOMETHING by Adam O’Fallon Price, MUST BE PEOPLED by David Burr Gerard, THE GAME by Kris Bertin, THE DECADE I KEPT ON GETTING STABBED by John Jidzio, A PORTRAIT OF AN UNNAMED MAN, SPOKEN BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE TO THE SIDE OF US AND MOSTLY UNDER THE GROUND by Edward Carey, and THE GEORGE SPELVIN PLAYERS by Rebecca Makkai. Please H&O - give us one more!

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read almost all but DNF a couple cause life is short

Faves:

“Over the plum pudding”=clever bit of meta fiction with a holiday bonus. Even though I’d ask for modern changes if it were written today, would still recommend around holidays for a cheap laugh

“Four minutes and 33 pairs of sweatpants”=I enjoy poking some fun at musicians and this was a clever story that did just that

“The final days of father troll”=poignant story about the life of a troll and what it means to have a heart when the people around you do not

“Cut”=the absurdity of being a woman, condensed and brilliant

“Parade for the dead and dying”=small town drama, with a big payoff

“The game”=two professor friends do everything scrambled scrabble letters tell them to and contemplate fate

“The George spelvin players”=a soap star comes to a community theater troupe and shakes things up

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only just discovered the short story advent calendar this year (its last year, sob!). Super fun, even if I wasn't always good about reading the story on the exact day it was "due". Also only dnf one story, which is not bad.

My personal top picks:
*Rebecca Makkai - "The George Spelvin Players"
*John Jodzio - "The Decade I Kept on Getting Stabbed"
*Sabrina Orah Mark - "The Professor"
*Meng Jin - "Our Humans"
*Sofia Samatar - "Reflections"
*David Burr Gerrard, "Must Be Peopled"
*Catherine Lacey - "Cut" (I think this one may have been a bit much for lots of people, but I thought it was fantastic)

[Bruce Harpham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories didn't resonate with me as much as previous years in the series. Still, I found a few in year that stood out well:

Alexander Weinstein, "The Final Days of Father Troll" - a story on the life and times of trolls and their suffering at the hands of humans

John Jodzio, "The Decade I Kept on Getting Stabbed" - a wonderfully fun short story about stabbing: I've never read anything like it and it was a lot of fun.

Rebecca Makkai, "The George Spelvin Players" - the story finale of the series involving a set of actors in a small community theatre.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the Hingston and Olsen short story advent calendar, which has been published every year since 2015. These collections are a great way to discover new genres and authors and new approaches to the short story. My favourite stories of the 2020 advent calendar were Kathryn Scanlan's "A Famous Man" where the main character searches for a historic house that once existed on the site of her grandparents home and Alexander Pushkin's "The Snowstorm" with its unexpected happy ending. As always, there were a few stories with a Christmas theme including the final story in the collection about a community theatre troop attempting to perform A Christmas Carol with a troubled soap opera star in the role of Bob Cratchit.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I obviously didn’t follow the plan and read a story a day for December. (Truth be told I misplaced it with a few days left, and found it while packing up house to move. Shame!) BUT, I must say, this is a wonderfully clever idea for an advent calendar, and I loved it! A broad variety of stories, mostly not Christmas themed, beautifully curated, and very nicely packaged. If you’ve got a short story lover in your life, buy them this for Christmas, and give it to them early! (Or, you know, buy one for yourself!)

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not stories I would have picked up on my own but all pretty enjoyable. It would have been nice if at least a couple were Christmas stories but I knew that going in. A shame this is the last year they are doing this.

[N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posted about the wrong book. As of 12/9/20 I’m still reading these stories. Obviously. Not done with Advent. Will update the review when I finish.

[Elizabeth Battey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another triumphant year.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A great collection this year!

[Josée Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I didn't enjoy all the stories included in this Advent calendar, I truly enjoyed the experience and discovered new authors whose other works I want to explore.

[Aaron Rotkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll read these every year they're published. Such a fun activity around Christmastime. Overall a good selection. Like usual, many are merely good, a few are duds and some are great. The Catherine Lacey story compelled me to buy her latest novel.