A Few Suggestions for Newer Inclusive Short Story Collections

One of the questions I am posed a lot is where others can find amazing short stories to use with their students and while I have a file folder that I keep myself, I am also thrilled that there are so many amazing newer collections that we can use to start conversations, as mentor texts, and just for overall inspiration.

We continue to want to emphasize the work of those whose voices have historically been minimized and so many of the short stories I use with kids are pulled from these collections. There are funny, sad, thought-provoking stories so my best advice is to dig in and start to read some of these great pieces, and then, of course, share them high and wide.

As many as I could fit in the picture – this post has a few extra titles that we also use.

While some of these are great for many ages, some of these only have certain stories suited for younger ages or are solely for older ages. So read the stories first before placing it in your library , which I would encourage you to do either way because many are amazing and not to be missed.

The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat & Fierce edited by Angie Manfredi



Here We Are : Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen



(Don’t) Call Me Crazy – 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen



Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love edited by Caroline Tung Richmond and Elsie Chapman



Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance



#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale



“I Will Not Be Erased” Our Stories about Growing Up as People of Color by gal-dem



Funny Girl: Funniest Stories EVER. edited by Betsy Bird



Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration edited by Rose Brock



Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices edited by Mitali Perkins



Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh



Our Stories, Our voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America Edited by Amy Reed



We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson



Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America Edited by Ibi Zoboi



Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teen Edited by Marieke Nijkamp



Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles



The Hero Next Door edited by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkins

Which books are your go-to for great short stories? To see other favorite books, go here.