New Stories from the Midwest — 2011 ·

Edited by Jason Lee Brown and Jay Prefontaine

“This collection of nineteen writers illustrates less a sense of the Midwest than daring developments of plot and character, which illustrate contemporary realities. . . . Mostly the masterly writing stands out. . . . (T)his whole collection is outstanding and showcases some of the talent coming from the Midwest.“

NewPages

“I wonder why The New Yorker isn't finding more stories like these, putting them in their obligatory fiction section there just before the dance and movie and TV reviews.”

The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities

“Because the editors have taken the high ground of admitting (almost!) only the best recent work by writers with Midwest ties, we can readily affirm this volume’s high quality. It includes wonderful stories of high merit.”

NewCity

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New Stories from the Midwest presents a collection of stories that celebrate an American region too often ignored in discussions about distinctive regional literature. The editors solicited nominations from more than three hundred magazines, literary journals, and small presses, and narrowed the selection to nineteen authors comprising prize winners and new and established authors.

The stories, written by midwestern writers or focusing on the Midwest, demonstrate how the quality of fiction from and about the heart of the country rivals that of any other region.

The anthology includes an introduction from Lee Martin and short fiction by emerging and established writers such as Rosellen Brown, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Christie Hodgen, Gregory Blake Smith, and Benjamin Percy.

Jason Lee Brown teaches writing at Eastern Illinois University and is a contributing editor to River Styx. He has received awards from the Illinois Arts Council, Academy of American Poets, and Illinois Press Association.

Jay Prefontaine taught writing at Eastern Illinois University for fourteen years, and his fiction received several awards, including the Writers at Work Fellowship. He died shortly after the completion of New Stories from the Midwest.