Pushcart Prize XXX ,: Best of the small presses 2006

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Description

This venerable annual has perfected its own brand of DIY publishing: have the editors of little magazines and presses send you their favorite piece from the past year year, then, with the help of friends, cull your own favorites and, with donations from other friends, publish an anthology. Henderson, a longtime Hamptons resident and Pushcart Press founder, has used this formula successfully for 30 years, and the results remain at the very least solid and entertaining, if predictable. At its core are the short stories that, this year, are often devastatingly centered on cancer (e.g., "Hunters," by John Fulton, from the "Southern Review"). Then there are the "Harper's"-like funny-serious political critiques (George Gessert's "Notes on Uranium Weapons and Kitsch," from the "Northwest Review"); the poems, this year selected by David Baker and Linda Gregerson; and the stick-in-your-mind wild cards ("Songs from the Black Chair," Charles Barber writing about his job at the Bellevue Men's Shelter, from the "Bellevue Literary Review" and the University of Nebraska Press). Henderson's intro gives a thumbnail of the project's history and serves as an elegy for writer and former NEA chair Frank Conroy, who died this year and who was a "friend and supporter." Simply picking up the book makes one feel like that, too." (Jan.)" Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Booklist (Sunday , January 01, 2006): The Pushcart Prize " offers its annual fix for readers hungry for fresh and arresting literature, and it's more compelling than ever in its thirtieth incarnation. Drawing on such steadfast sources of good writing as " Boulevard, Ontario Review, Three Penny Review, TriQuarterly, " and" Virginia Quarterly Review" , as well as more recently established venues such as " Dogwood " and " Speakeasy" , the" Pushcart " editors have once again selected a spectacular array of literary gems. The poets include Linda Bierds, Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Philip Levine, and Stanley Plumly. The essays are outstanding, including Brian Doyle's highly concentrated and affecting meditation on the hearts of hummingbirds, whales, and humans; Edward Hirsch's ravishing remembrance of William Maxwell; and George Gessert's resounding contrapuntal riffing on kitsch and uranium weapons. And what a feast of short stories. Valerie Sayers offers an unusual mix of history and fiction. E. L. Doctorow provides a stinging tale of corrupt politics. Jim Shepard is in fine satiric form. Rick Bass' story, "Her First Elk," is hauntingly beautiful. And Aimee Bender's "End of the Line" is mind-blowing. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.) Review Quotes: "]Henderson( has made it his mission over the last thirty-odd years to defy the dumbing down of literature and the culture at large." Publisher Marketing: "]Henderson( has made it his mission over the last thirty-odd years to defy the dumbing down of literature and the culture at large."--"Kirkus Reviews" This edition of the long-honored anthology of small-press fiction, essays, and poetry marks its third decade, an amazing feat of survival and excellence. Like previous editions, "The Pushcart Prize XXX" presents over sixty selections picked from hundreds of little magazines and presses with the help of over 200 distinguished contributing editors. In the Pushcart tradition, this fascinating collection combines the work of today's luminaries with a host of new talents, creating an exciting assembly of diverse voices. Since 1976, "The Pushcart Prize" has been "the single best measure of the state of affairs in American literature today," according to the "New York Times Book Review." Many of today's celebrated writers received their first recognition in "The Pushcart Prize," which over the years has tracked small-press enthusiasms from traditional to experimental in an unsurpassed eclectic gathering. this edition published November 2005.

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General Fields

• ISBN : 9781888889413
• Publisher : W.W. Norton & Company Ltd
• Imprint : W.W. Norton & Company Ltd
• Product Type : books

Special Fields

• Bind : Paperback
• Author : Bill Henderson (ed)