The Pushcart Prize XXXV: Best of the Small Presses 2011 Edition

by Bill Henderson (Editor), Pushcart Prize (Editor)

“A must have book for contemporary literature lovers.”―Publishers Weekly, starred review In The Pushcart Prize XXXV more than sixty selections of brilliant short stories, essays, and poetry have been picked from thousands of nominations. This is a communal effort by the Pushcart Press staff, contributing editors, and hundreds of small presses. For this edition distinguished poets Julie Sheehan and Tom Sleigh served 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. In reviewing last year's edition, Donna Seaman of Booklist "A brimming, vibrant anthology-the perfect introduction to new writers and adventurous new work by established writers . . . extraordinary in its range of voices and subjects. Here is literature to have and to hold." The Pushcart Prize has been chosen for the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement recognition by the National Book Critics Circle and the Writers for Writers award from Poets & Writers / Barnes & Noble.

Genres: Short Stories, Poetry, Anthologies, Fiction, Essays

598 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2010

About the author

Bill Henderson (born April 5, 1941) is an American author, editor and publisher best known for his memoirs and the Pushcart Prize series.

Reviews

[Alisha]

It looks like this will be a book full of decent poetry and fiction. That being said, I am a bit turned off by the Luddite attitude of the editor. Apparently anything but a traditionally bound text is a "fake" book. He comes off as so extremely elitist it's little wonder people think me pretentious when they find out I write poetry.

[Joy]

As the cover states "There is nothing quite like this labor of love...". The Best of Small Pesses, big writings.

Of course, as with all books of this type, you don't love every story, every poem. But there are many that will languish in my memory, a few I will even pass on to others.

I'm not usually a poem-person, to literal for all that, but there are a few in this genre that also spoke loudly to me.

[Erika Schoeps]

A book that actually has an accurate "Date started" and "Date finished" time!

Pushcart Prize is a great anthology. Well-established authors sit alongside newer authors, and I honestly never really noticed a difference in quality. The only pieces I consistently didn't like were the non-fiction pieces about other authors, and this was due to my lack of familiarity with the authors they were discussing.

Also, format-wise, this is really cool because they usually place poems next to fiction next to non-fiction. It's super refreshing and really helps you to keep reading. I struggle to get through anthologies in a timely way because I have to pause between short stories (which is good for thinking time, but then I also just go do other stuff when I put the book down).

I found some AMAZING poets, and I actually went to Amazon and bought a female poet's work that I couldn't find at my local library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I can't wait to read another year of this anthology.

[Anna]

The stories were really amazing, and I loved most of them. I starred them in the table of contents in my copy. The poetry didn't strike me as much. There were also several sort of memoirs of people peripheral (more or less) to people like Susan Sontag, Samuel Beckett, etc. that were really interesting.

[Sharlan Wylde]

The Pushcart Prize XXXV is a vibrant and thoughtfully curated collection that showcases the best of contemporary writing from small presses. With a strong mix of poetry, short fiction, and essays, the anthology highlights both emerging and established voices and offers an inspiring glimpse into where innovative literature truly thrives. A must-read for lovers of modern literary work.

[Mary]

There are always gems in these, but this one wasn't as good as the other two that I read.

[DilanAc]

These stories, each by a different author, represent very diverse forms, subjects, characters, etc. so impossible to answer the questions about characters and plot and mood.
The Jess Row story "Sheep May Safely Graze" absorbed me as did the Deb Olin Unfert "Pet" story. This looks to be one of the best Pushcart collections in a number of years. On the downside, this volume seems to have played it safer with many well-known names.
Valerie Vogrin's "Things We'll Need for the Coming Difficulties" is the most absorbing short story I have read this year. I wanted it never to end. I wanted a novel.
The Early Story "Mr. Tall" completely absorbed me and then took my breath away at the end. I love the careful attention to detail that Early uses.
I could barely read "Double Happiness." I know it has been more than 20 years but I still can't read such direct stories about 911. On 2nd reading, this was even harding to take. That loss of her adult child (her darling boy) was about as awful as it gets and then the ageism that confines her to pushing a library cart at school children. I wonder about 9/11 stories like this. I wonder if in another 20 years or so, there will have to be a footnote that explains that this story refers to the tragedy of jets flying into the World Trade Center buildings.
I am interested in reading more Anthony Marra especially as I learned that "Chechnya" is his first story. But in many ways this story is too much to take. Three lives utterly destroyed and I just can't buy that one healthy loving little girl is the hope here. But it is incredibly well plotted and paced.
I don't usually like funny stories but I really enjoyed "Final Dispositions" by Linda McCullough Moore. The narrator of the story is a delight. It is ultimately a story of childhood trauma and its resulting dysfunctional coping mechanisms that manifest in adulthood so a sad and tragic story but also delightful. Not quite like anything I have ever read (maybe Shakespeare's fool - both funny and tragic.)

The Anthony Doerr story "The River Nemunas" also really touched me on the 2nd reading. The first time around I was certainly intrigued by the story and found it compelling but this time I also found it incredibly sad. An orphan in a foreign country, searching for a fish that disappeared like the rest of her world.

[Beth]

This was not my favorite Pushcart entry, but there were still more standouts than in most other anthologies:

• Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre, by Seth Fried
• The Cousins, by Charles Baxter
• Lores of Last Unicorns, by Jen Hirt
• Fem Care, by Elliott Holt
• Shelter, by Susan Perabo
• The Watermark, by Susan McCallum-Smith
• Pet, by Deb Olin Unferth
• Mot, by Sarah Einstein

[Karen Carlson]

The fiction is outstanding. Detailed Comments on each story plus summary (with possible spoilers) available at A Just Recompense

[Amy]

I had to pack this book to move, so I'm marking it "read."

I'm kind of reading this off and on. I don't know that I'll finish the whole thing. But I'll at least read a representative sample before I mark it as "read." (Read in past tense if this is marked as "read.")

[Julie]

I will never again miss the chance to read the annual Pushcart Prize book, cover to cover. "Best of the small presses" is exactly what this book delivers ... to a reader's delight.

[R. Scott Anderson MD]

The essential short works collection of the year.

[Samantha Allen]

Everything in this anthology won a Pushcart Prize... what more can I say, really? This was my first time reading a Pushcart collection, and now I'm kind of obsessed.

[Nathan Machart]

Good collection of short stories, although a few I skipped. Anthony Dooer's The River Nemunas stands out, a great telling of a young boy's path from the grief of the loss of his parents.

[Joseph]

My favorite piece was "The Caul of Inshallah" by Mohja Kahf.

[Amanda Unger]

The first story, "Phantoms," is one of the best short stories I have ever read!

[Nancy Newcomer]

Some excellent short stories, both fiction and nonfiction here.

[Brandi Larsen]

There's a reason these are award-winning stories. Wow.