The Pushcart Prize XXIX: Best of the Small Presses 2005 Edition

The yearly Pushcart prize anthology truly is the best of the best. Wish it were more portable - too heavy to lug on a plane or read in bed. On the other hand, it is certainly worth its weight in writing. Just keep it handy, prop it up on a table, and enjoy all year.

I'm continually surprised by the stellar writing in this annual collection. I haven't come across a poorly-written piece in here -- poetry, memoir, or fiction. I wish these authors were getting the attention they deserve. I'm impressed, too, by the egalitarian choices of the editors. If I remember correctly, Rick Moody is a contributing editor yet also received an "honorary mention" for a submission. I've got one complaint that bothers me like crazy, in both last year's and this year's editions: Please put the original publication of each piece either in the contents or in an appendix of its own. The contents include the author, title and genre. One appendix gives us contributing presses, which it seems are all that submitted whether or not accepted for publication; and another appendix gives us all contributing presses over the years. The book is very long and in order to learn which story, poem, etc., was originally published where, we need to go to the work itself - an unweildy task when curious to read the writing originating from "X" publication. Otherwise, truly, surprisingly excellent writing. I buy it to see writing trends; I end up enjoying the book. I pick it up for a quick look and end up reading, then reading some more. Great, great collection.