Story Week Reader 2009
Editor’s Note:
During a recent visit to campus, Dinty W. Moore, the editor of the creative nonfiction journal Brevity, compared short short stories to flash paper. There are many good metaphors describing the form, but this one stuck. When the editors of this year’s Reader met in mid-January to review the sixty-three submissions, we were looking for stories that ignited quickly, and left behind images that resonated long after we set them down. In the subsequent weeks, each editor took on a handful of this year’s writers and worked closely on revising the stories to make them more flammable. We admire the writers’ dedication to this pursuit, and we hope their efforts resonate with you. Writing is for the reader. We’re curious to hear what you discover. Be careful, though, these stories burn quick and hot.
During a recent visit to campus, Dinty W. Moore, the editor of the creative nonfiction journal Brevity, compared short short stories to flash paper. There are many good metaphors describing the form, but this one stuck. When the editors of this year’s Reader met in mid-January to review the sixty-three submissions, we were looking for stories that ignited quickly, and left behind images that resonated long after we set them down. In the subsequent weeks, each editor took on a handful of this year’s writers and worked closely on revising the stories to make them more flammable. We admire the writers’ dedication to this pursuit, and we hope their efforts resonate with you. Writing is for the reader. We’re curious to hear what you discover. Be careful, though, these stories burn quick and hot.
fiction
petty theft | Melanie Datz
carrot’s choice | Brandi Kleinert Larsen
advice for non-teens about to
get into trouble dealing with troubled teens | Casey J. Bye
blood | Lex Sonne
el milagro | Sara Vallejo
sally’s diner—dusk | Sara Vallejo
burning bush | Sheree Greer
mother at the polling station | Kurt Kennedy
growth spurt | Candace Monique Robertson
the tree in the bathroom | Karen Pilson
catfisting | Rich Martens
on fjords and fourteen-year-olds | Jessie Morrison
the way it is | Kierrin Schaefer
the good daughter | Noelle Aleksandra Hufnagel
story in graphic form
the apple tree kid | story: Timothy A. Dustin,
illustrations: Andrew Dustin
creative nonfiction
the last meal | Robyn Eastmanlet’s be together today | Matthew Novak
the homeless | Mason Johnson
equal halves | Carly P.
waiting room | Karen Zemanick
Executive Editor
Jotham Burrello
Editors
Susan Babyk
Leah Tallon
Maggie Ritchie
Stephanie Velasco
Copy Editor and layout
Daniel Prazer
Cover design, photography, and layout design
Ann Prazer
Story Week Artistic Director
Sam Weller
Click here to download a PDF of the
entire Story Week Reader 2009
Copyright © 2009 Fiction Writing Department
Jotham Burrello
Editors
Susan BabykLeah Tallon
Maggie Ritchie
Stephanie Velasco
Copy Editor and layout
Daniel Prazer
Cover design, photography, and layout design
Ann Prazer
Story Week Artistic Director
Sam Weller
Click here to download a PDF of the
entire Story Week Reader 2009
Copyright © 2009 Fiction Writing Department