The Pushcart Prize XXX: Best of the Small Presses 2006 Edition

By Bill Henderson

Book Overview

This edition of the long-honored anthology of small-press fiction, essays, and poetry marks its third decade, an amazing feat of survival and excellence. Like previous editions, The Pushcart Prize XXX presents over sixty selections picked from hundreds of little magazines and presses with the help of over 200 distinguished contributing editors. In the Pushcart tradition, this fascinating collection combines the work of today's luminaries with a host of new talents, creating an exciting assembly of diverse voices. Since 1976, The Pushcart Prize has been "the single best measure of the state of affairs in American literature today," according to the New York Times Book Review. Many of today's celebrated writers received their first recognition in The Pushcart Prize, which over the years has tracked small-press enthusiasms from traditional to experimental in an unsurpassed eclectic gathering.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888889411
• ISBN13: 9781888889413
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Pushcart Press
• Length: 550 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.7" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Amazingly consistently superb

I primarily read short stories and in the past year have decided that Pushcart and O.Henry collections are much better than the 'Best American Stories' volumes. When I was packing a few weeks ago for an annual vacation,I chose this large volume and a smaller O.Henry Prize Stories 2005 volume.I have now finished the O.Henry volume and am halfway through the Pushcart.The difference is significant. Out of the 20 O.Henry pieces, maybe 40-50% were successful for me.One or two drew from me my greatest homage, an unsolicited "Wowwwwww"followed by a long stunned silence filled with feeling and thought(Sherman Alexie, Wendell Berry). The lesser 50-60% were disappointing or even angering- in their reader manipulation or other weaknesses. The Pushcart experience has been quite different. So far, after 18 pieces, I have experienced only one piece of lesser quality. Otherwise, each has been very very strong. Authentic is the operative word here. No tricks or manipulations. Authentic true stories, essays, poems. A.Van Jordan has taken my breath away and Cynthia Weiner has given me more pleasurable chuckles and hoots than anyone since Jonathan Tropper. Edward Hirsch, Donald Hall and Rick Bass have mesmerized me.And there are so many more pieces to come. I've tried to analyze the 'why' between the difference in O.Henry and Pushcart.It is true that I have read other more successful O.Henry volumes.But Pushcart seems to involve many more editors/nominators and, given the enormous impossible task of sifting through so many submissions, this may be the key to Pushcart's success. I for one am most appreciative and excited.