What a lively and fun afternoon with some great writers! Robert Shaw Jerry Levy Alisha Piercy Ray Robertson

Titillating subject in the Q and A. Is the short story still a valued and worthwhile style of fiction? Many agreed that it is the big publishers and their narrow focus on money that has caused the neglect of the short story collection. Big houses are only interested in publishing the next award winning novel and so have lost focus on the real world.

With young adults (our new and emerging readers) and their short attention span, you would think publishers could see the value in selling a short story collection. You are not only selling great fiction, but you are selling them back their own time. Without asking them to spend a week or two on one story, you can get them to read a story in less than half an hour.

Here are the collections I think you should be reading now!

Anything by Alice Munro. She is a Novel Prize Winner!

George Saunders, Tenth of December

Junot Diaz, This is How You Lose Her (and anything else!)

Emma Donoghue, Astray

Jess Walter, We Live in Water

And check out the reviews of other great collections on Good Reads, here.