Best of Prairie Schooner

Now celebrating seventy-five years of continuous publication, Prairie Schooner has been called one of the best magazines in America by Nan Talese, "the roots" in Esquire's garden of contemporary literature, and one of the best places for "fabulous fiction" by the Washington Post. One of the oldest and most prestigious literary journals in the country, it ranks among Writer's Digest's "Nineteen Magazines That Matter." This anthology collects some of the best fiction and poetry from the writers who have appeared in the journal's pages.

“This selection from Prairie Schooner, one of the oldest and most respected literary magazines in the United States, celebrates fiction and poetry. Included are some of the best pieces that have appeared in the journal since 1980. . . . This anthology will delight readers seeking thought-provoking, entertaining fiction and poetry that avoids the trendy and faddish.”—Library Journal, “Best of Prairie Schooner: Fiction and Poetry appears in observance of that periodical's 75th year of publication--no mean feat for a literary journal and one worth celebrating. . . . Contributors include heavyweights Joyce Carol Oates, A. R. Ammons, Rita Dove and Reynolds Price alongside such newer talents as Stephanie Strickland, Karen Volkman and Raphael Campo.”—Publishers Weekly, “This anthology celebrates the remarkable 75 year run (so far) of the Prairie Schooner, the literary journal . . . that began modestly in 1927, avoided the axe from budget cuts a decade later, and has held an important place on the American literary landscape ever since. An informative introduction retells various details in the journal's life. . . . The works selected for this volume were mostly published after 1980, with a few notable exceptions, including two early stories by Joyce Carol Oates, which appeared in 1964 and 1965. There are many other well-known writers represented: Charles Baxter, with an early poem; Charles Bukowski, with a late poem; Lan Samantha Chang, with the story 'The Eve of the Spirit Festival' which was later selected for Best American Short Stories 1996; and works by Maxine Kumin, Rita Dove, Gary Soto, Louise Erdrich, Sharon Olds, and Sherman Alexie.”—Booklist

Hilda Raz is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska. She is the author of three books of poetry, including Divine Honors. She is the editor of Living on the Margins: Women Writers on Breast Cancer and The Prairie Schooner Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Writing.