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Pushcart Prize XXXIV: Best of the Small Presses
The most honored literary series in America marks its 34th year of continuous publication. Reviewing the 2008 edition of The Pushcart Prize, Publishers Weekly called it “a must-have for contemporary literature lovers” (starred review). The Chicago Tribune has raved, “When it comes to contemporary American literature, the small press is where the action is . . . of all anthologies, Pushcart’s is the most rewarding to read straight through.”
In The Pushcart Prize XXXIV more than sixty selections of short stories, essays, and poetry have been picked from thousands of nominations by Pushcart Press staff, contributing editors, and hundreds of small presses. This year Rosanna Warren and Wesley McNair serve as poetry editors. The result is an introduction to a literary world that few readers have access to, where much of today’s important new writing is published, far from the commercial influence of the conglomerates.
The Pushcart Prize has been chosen for the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement recognition by the National Book Critics Circle and for numerous other awards.
From Publishers' Weekly: "This year's Pushcart anthology offers consistently good prose and poetry that covers a broad range of styles and topics. On the historical front, 'Tied to History' by Greil Marcus and 'A Poetics of Hiroshima' by William Heyen are among several pieces that reinvigorate well-plowed terrain from WWII, while 'Return to Hayneville' by Gregory Orr offers a shocking true tale of police rounding up, imprisoning and battering peaceful protestors in the segregated South. Contemporary standout pieces from J.C. Hallman ('Ethan: A Love Story') and Charles McLeod ('Edge Boys') mine the rich veins of, respectively, video games and suburban teenage prostitution. But not all of the pieces work: two of the unsuccessful stories in this volume — Mary Gaitskill's 'The Arms and Legs of the Lake' and Brock Clarke's 'Our Pointy Boots' — are failed efforts to interrogate the realities of troops returning from the second Iraq War. The anthology is at its most innovative with its poetry, which surpasses the prose in experiments with language and form." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
In The Pushcart Prize XXXIV more than sixty selections of short stories, essays, and poetry have been picked from thousands of nominations by Pushcart Press staff, contributing editors, and hundreds of small presses. This year Rosanna Warren and Wesley McNair serve as poetry editors. The result is an introduction to a literary world that few readers have access to, where much of today’s important new writing is published, far from the commercial influence of the conglomerates.
The Pushcart Prize has been chosen for the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement recognition by the National Book Critics Circle and for numerous other awards.
From Publishers' Weekly: "This year's Pushcart anthology offers consistently good prose and poetry that covers a broad range of styles and topics. On the historical front, 'Tied to History' by Greil Marcus and 'A Poetics of Hiroshima' by William Heyen are among several pieces that reinvigorate well-plowed terrain from WWII, while 'Return to Hayneville' by Gregory Orr offers a shocking true tale of police rounding up, imprisoning and battering peaceful protestors in the segregated South. Contemporary standout pieces from J.C. Hallman ('Ethan: A Love Story') and Charles McLeod ('Edge Boys') mine the rich veins of, respectively, video games and suburban teenage prostitution. But not all of the pieces work: two of the unsuccessful stories in this volume — Mary Gaitskill's 'The Arms and Legs of the Lake' and Brock Clarke's 'Our Pointy Boots' — are failed efforts to interrogate the realities of troops returning from the second Iraq War. The anthology is at its most innovative with its poetry, which surpasses the prose in experiments with language and form." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
565 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Bill Henderson
119 books19 followersBill Henderson (born April 5, 1941) is an American author, editor and publisher best known for his memoirs and the Pushcart Prize series.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 7, 2011
Pushcart's annual collection of essays, poems, and short fiction published by America's most celebrated small presses. I read it to learn what constitutes award-winning contemporary short fiction. For the most part, I was left cold. The fashion is first-person fiction that reads like a personal essay; story is of little import and writers run from anything that appears to entertain. The exception is Joyce Carol Oates's story, Bonobo Mama, which isn't particularly entertaining, but at least its structure is familiar (what is JC Oates doing in an anthology of small press fiction? Oh, right, she's a founding editor. Hmmm...).
There are a number of stories which held me, to a greater or lesser extent. Not an insignificant few, including Bonobo Mama, deal with the theme of bad mothers and wounded daughters. Since I could write the book on that particular subject, all hope of my career as contemporary fiction writer is not lost. .
The highlights include: Work and Industry in the Northern Midwest Luther Magnussen (which isn't a story and makes no real sense, but it is entertaining); What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us Laura Van Den Berg- a painful daughter/mother coming-of-age that includes my new favorite thing, swimming; Two Studies in Entropy Sara Pritchard- what happens when you leave home with too many flea bombs set to detonate at the same time; Our Pointy Boots Brock Clark- surrealist tale of Iraq War vets returning home; Everything, All at Once Austin Bunn - more painful daughter/mother growth stuff.
In addition, there is some stunning poetry- in fact, the poems make this volume a keeper- and some moving essays; Put on the Petty by Amos Magliocco is very fine.
This was an excellent exercise in determining writing styles that do not suit me. I'm neither clever enough for surrealism, nor cynical enough for satire. Old school Beginning, Middle, End is good enough for me.
There are a number of stories which held me, to a greater or lesser extent. Not an insignificant few, including Bonobo Mama, deal with the theme of bad mothers and wounded daughters. Since I could write the book on that particular subject, all hope of my career as contemporary fiction writer is not lost. .
The highlights include: Work and Industry in the Northern Midwest Luther Magnussen (which isn't a story and makes no real sense, but it is entertaining); What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us Laura Van Den Berg- a painful daughter/mother coming-of-age that includes my new favorite thing, swimming; Two Studies in Entropy Sara Pritchard- what happens when you leave home with too many flea bombs set to detonate at the same time; Our Pointy Boots Brock Clark- surrealist tale of Iraq War vets returning home; Everything, All at Once Austin Bunn - more painful daughter/mother growth stuff.
In addition, there is some stunning poetry- in fact, the poems make this volume a keeper- and some moving essays; Put on the Petty by Amos Magliocco is very fine.
This was an excellent exercise in determining writing styles that do not suit me. I'm neither clever enough for surrealism, nor cynical enough for satire. Old school Beginning, Middle, End is good enough for me.
December 31, 2010
I like this series, generally, and I think this is a pretty good year; at least, I'm sure I've read worse.
Standouts for me include Bill Heyen's poem "A Poetics of Hiroshmia," the Sara Pritchard story, "Two Studies in Entropy," and thought a lot of Gregory Orr's memoir and Brenda Wineapple's short investigation of E Dickinson's relationship with her famous editor Higginson.
I'm usually pretty wowed by Lia Purpura, but her piece here didn't do it for me, quite. And I do feel, and feel strongly, that there isn't enough good non-fiction the editors of this anthology review to justify the tremendous space the material gets here; I'm not making a comment on all NF published, just the stuff that turns up here, which is variable in quality but generally dull, and so disparate in approach to not really fit with the other objectives of the anthology. I just wish there were less of it.
The selections as a whole are generally a little staid, and this year is no exception. I like the wide swath of new writers this exposes me to every year, but sometimes wish it dug a little deeper into formally inventive work than it generally does.
A good year from New Letters, and then a lot of expected stuff: VQR, Poetry, etc.
Standouts for me include Bill Heyen's poem "A Poetics of Hiroshmia," the Sara Pritchard story, "Two Studies in Entropy," and thought a lot of Gregory Orr's memoir and Brenda Wineapple's short investigation of E Dickinson's relationship with her famous editor Higginson.
I'm usually pretty wowed by Lia Purpura, but her piece here didn't do it for me, quite. And I do feel, and feel strongly, that there isn't enough good non-fiction the editors of this anthology review to justify the tremendous space the material gets here; I'm not making a comment on all NF published, just the stuff that turns up here, which is variable in quality but generally dull, and so disparate in approach to not really fit with the other objectives of the anthology. I just wish there were less of it.
The selections as a whole are generally a little staid, and this year is no exception. I like the wide swath of new writers this exposes me to every year, but sometimes wish it dug a little deeper into formally inventive work than it generally does.
A good year from New Letters, and then a lot of expected stuff: VQR, Poetry, etc.
May 6, 2016
This was another excellent year for the Pushcart! My #1 was Tom and Jerry, by Christie Hodgen, but here were my other favorites:
• Return to Haynesville, by Gregory Orr
• Work and Industry in the Northern Midwest, by Luther Magnussen
• The Points of Sail, by Sven Birkerts
• London & a Friend, by Paul Zimmer
• Ethan: A Love Story, by J.C. Hallman
• Put on the Petty, by Amos Magliocco
• Everything, All at Once, by Austin Bunn
• Time and Distance Overcome, by Eula Biss
• Bird Feed, by Ashlee Adams
• the poems Rain, Frieda Pushnik, and Accident, Mass Ave.
• Return to Haynesville, by Gregory Orr
• Work and Industry in the Northern Midwest, by Luther Magnussen
• The Points of Sail, by Sven Birkerts
• London & a Friend, by Paul Zimmer
• Ethan: A Love Story, by J.C. Hallman
• Put on the Petty, by Amos Magliocco
• Everything, All at Once, by Austin Bunn
• Time and Distance Overcome, by Eula Biss
• Bird Feed, by Ashlee Adams
• the poems Rain, Frieda Pushnik, and Accident, Mass Ave.
June 10, 2012
I highly recommend this book. All of it. And any from the series, for that matter.
I'd heard of the Pushcart Prize -- in fact, I've known a few nominees -- but I had no idea the work was this good.
I felt the excitement that comes when you realize the stories, poetry and non-fiction you are reading are connected to our deepest longings. To read them is to feel consoled, less alone.
To read them is to experience an exorcism.
From now on, I'll likely read a couple of these anthologies a year. I've got 35 or so to choose from :)
I'd heard of the Pushcart Prize -- in fact, I've known a few nominees -- but I had no idea the work was this good.
I felt the excitement that comes when you realize the stories, poetry and non-fiction you are reading are connected to our deepest longings. To read them is to feel consoled, less alone.
To read them is to experience an exorcism.
From now on, I'll likely read a couple of these anthologies a year. I've got 35 or so to choose from :)
March 17, 2011
A hefty collection of the best (according to the Pushcart Prize editors) 2010 short stories, poems, essays and memoir pieces published by small presses.
I found this collection to be disappointing. The fiction was too artsy and as for the poetry, well, I'm just not a poetry person. The one redeeming aspect of the collection was its non-fiction.
I found this collection to be disappointing. The fiction was too artsy and as for the poetry, well, I'm just not a poetry person. The one redeeming aspect of the collection was its non-fiction.
May 20, 2016
The Pushcart series are always a nice mixture of established writers and newcomers. I also enjoy the mixture of prose and poetry.
I love the Charles MacLeod "Edge Boys." What a wonderful bombardment of language with a heart of darkness.
"This Dream the World is Having About Itself" is a beautiful poem steeped in longing and memory.
I love the Charles MacLeod "Edge Boys." What a wonderful bombardment of language with a heart of darkness.
"This Dream the World is Having About Itself" is a beautiful poem steeped in longing and memory.
March 3, 2010
Contains the stories "Stolpestad" by William Lychack and "Tom & Jerry" by Christie Hodgen, as well as "Rain," a poem by Peter Everwine. All three pieces were originally published in our Spring 2008 issue, guest-edited by B.H. Fairchild.
August 18, 2010
If you are a short story writer or a poet, in this day and age, the Pushcarts are the book to read. You can see what literary magazines like as chosen by their peers.
December 29, 2011
The Pushcart Prize is subject to editors' nominations. I am usually drawn to the poetry of these anthologies. This time, it was the fiction that drew me in. What a great collection.
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December 18, 2009Kim Addonizio's "How to Succeed in Po Biz" is a riot.
June 28, 2010
Some decent stuff in here, but nothing that blew my mind.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews