FICTION

Stephen KingMEMORY
When I say I was confused, I mean that at first I didn’t know who people were, or what had happened, or why I was in such awful pain.

Anthony DoerrVILLAGE 113
The Village Director stands under an umbrella. The sky is a threadbare curtain of silver. “It’s true,” he says. “We’ve been slated for submergence.”

Sarah Shun-lien BynumSANDMAN
“What is Jonathan, or any of you, going to do when the clowns sneak up behind you and clobber you over the head with a tire iron?” Ms. Hempel asked the eighth-graders. “Or stuff a chloroform-soaked towel underneath your nose, and you pass out? What are you going to do then?”

Steven MillhauserTHE OTHER TOWN
Here and there we also catch glimpses of the replicators, the ones who see to it that all changes in our town are repeated in the other town, and who do their best to keep out of our way.

Antonya NelsonOBO
Abby was coming to Christmas with her English professor’s wife’s family. She’d been invited on account of the lie she’d told Dr. Shapiro, which was that her own family had disowned her.

Yiyun LiPRISON
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Luo said. “She has our child in her.”
“It’s not like she’ll run away,” Yilan said. “She needs the money.”

NEW VOICE—FICTION

Emma ClinePERSEIDS
The reporters talked about “child and mother,” “frozen solid,” “recently died.” “Mystery,” they said. But it wasn’t a mystery.

Richard A. SanchezTHE GIRL NEXT DOOR
Thomas McCoy said: “Your uncle’s just going to live in your backyard forever?” “Not forever,” Bobby said, “just as long as it takes.”

POETRY

Ben Doyle
BERET SPOTTING

Cecily Parks
HOW TO READ A MACKEREL SKY
IN COLDER WEATHER

Matthea Harvey
MINOTAUR, NO MAZE

Dean Young
SELF SEARCH

Alan Ziegler
CALL FOR RESEARCH

Michael Dickman
SOME OF THE MEN

Alison Stine
WASTE

Lia Purpura
WALK

Grace Paley
FOOD

NEW VOICE—POETRY

Diana Park
WE’RE NOT FARMERS

TWO INTERVIEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND

RODDY DOYLE
The author of The Woman Who Walked into Doors

WILL SELF
The author of eleven books, including the upcoming The Book of Dave, talks with Rick Moody about blogging, the walk from airports to major cities, plus churchy relatives and ambivalent Jewishness.

LOST & FOUND

Gerald Howard on Evelyn Waugh

Paul D. Kretkowski on Irwin Shaw’s The Young Lions

Steve Almond on François Camoin’s Like Love, but Not Exactly

Jason Myers on Marianne Moore’s Predilections

READABLE FEAST

Chris OffuttUP YOUR GOOSE WITH A BONELESS DUCK
There are two kinds of writers: those who cook, and those who don’t.

Lydia DavisEATING FISH ALONE
On the ritual of dining to please only yourself.

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