Applause is proud to continue the series that for over 70 years has been the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America. As previous series editor Ramon Delgado wrote in his introduction to The Best American Short Plays of 1989 , the choice of entries for each edition has been based on the same goal: "to include a balance among three categories of playwrights: 1) established playwrights who continue to practice the art and craft of the short...

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Really? Words can break spirits, destroy confidence. They can also build hope and incite great acts of heroism. Playwrights know this, and so do theater audiences. Otherwise, why go? Words matter and carry clout every bit as dangerous as a hammer or crowbar. This, too, playwrights know. The monologues in this volume are full of such blows, striking at our imaginations and our memories,...

#1 New York Times best-selling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels, Louise Penny brings her “nerve and skill—as well as heart” (Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post) to selecting the best short mystery and crime fiction of the year.
Writing short stories takes “Skill. Discipline. Knowledge of the form while not being formulaic,” contends Louise Penny in her introduction. “In a short...

Huckleberry Finn is a young boy in the 1840's, who runs away from home, and floats down the Mississippi River. He meets a run away slave named Jim and the two undertake a series of adventures. As the story progresses the duo exploit an array of episodic enterprises, while Huckleberry slowly changes his views of bigotry. Along the way, Huck and Jim meet the King and Duke, who ultimately send the protagonists towards a different route on their journey....

A best-selling novelist and Edgar Award winner, Lisa Scottoline brings her mastery of the thriller genre as well as her wit and heart to this collection of the must-reads in mysteries.

A collection of the year's best short stories, selected by National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee and series editor Heidi Pitlor. Min Jin Lee, author of the highly acclaimed National Book Award Finalist Pachinko, selects twenty stories out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.

In this inaugural edition in a new series, Ruth Reichl [collects] pieces originally published in a wide range of venues .. There are odes to dining scenes, like Karen Brooks's two-fisted defense of Portland, Ore., as a great pizza city .. as well as profiles of foodie celebs like Mary H.K. Choi's .. take on .. Christina Tosi and Kushbu Shah's pilgrimage to Ree Drummond's remote Oklahoma eatery. Politics are a constant, with Jane Black's .. 'Revenge...

"The Best American Infographics 2016 covers the realms of social issues, health, sports, arts and culture, and politics--including crisp visual data on the likely Democratic/Republican leanings of an array of professions (proving that your urologist is far more likely to be a Republican than your pediatrician). Here once again are the most innovative print and electronic infographics..."--Front flap.

Includes stories by T. C. Boyle, Emma Cline, Mary Gaitskill, Andrea Lee, Elizabeth McCracken, Alejandro Pyuana, William Pei Shih, Kevin Wilson, and more.