The Beacon Best of 2001: Great Writing by Women and Men of All Colors and Cultures

by Junot Díaz (Editor)

Continuing its tradition of offering the most stimulating and eclectic collection of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, The Beacon Best returns this year with the acclaimed writer Junot Díaz as guest editor. The 2001 edition features not only celebrated wordsmiths like Ha Jin, Louise Erdrich, Francisco Goldman, Chang-rae Lee, and Zadie Smith, but also emerging new talents like T. E. Holt and Rhina P. Espaillat. This year's edition boasts deeply compassionate stories that explore the widening gap between our day-to-day experiences and what we too often read or see elsewhere. Writes Díaz in his introduction, "The freshness and originality and humanity of these writers and their work renewed me." We hope that the Beacon Best of 2001 will delight and challenge you to see the world with new eyes.

Featuring the work Agha Shahid Ali Josefina Báez, Maile Chapman, Lucille Clifton, Edwidge Danticat, Cornelius Eady, Louise Erdrich, Rhina P. Espaillat, John Frazier, Dagoberto Gilb, Francisco Goldman, T. E. Holt, Ha Jin, Chang-rae Lee , Li-Young Lee, Nega Mezlekia, Ishle Park, Pedro Ponce, Patrick A. Rosal, Sonia Sanchez, Danzy Senna, Angela Shaw, Zadie Smith, James Ellis Thomas, Reetika Vaziran, Elissa Wald, Felicia Ward, and Tim Winton.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2001

About the author

Junot Díaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. He is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, PEN/Malamud Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and PEN/O. Henry Award. A graduate of Rutgers College, Díaz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is the cofounder of Voices of Our Nation Workshop.

Reviews

[Sidik Fofana · Rating 4 out of 5]

(six word review #10) "The Saturday Morning Car Wash Club"!

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saturday morning car wash made me laugh out loud. The car look like "king kong wiped his ass with a pepsi can".
I also loved the Dagoberto Gilb story and the paper flowers piece also.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

another tarra lend. started me off on the short story kick of 2006, and lead me straight into junot diaz' own stories.

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

hit and miss...some short stories are compelling...others are not. then...there are poems. oi.

[Chanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally enjoyable. The Revelation Museum (Pedro Ponce), Mexico DF (Francisco Goldman), Notes from the Catwalk (Elissa Wald), and Revival Road (Louise Erdrich) were my favorites.

[Rianna Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy a few of stories/poems but Edwidge Danticat and Danzy Senna stole the show.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fantastic short stories here from authors you would have a hard time finding anywhere else.