Getting hired at BookPeople was an exciting thing. Being part of the bookstore, meeting new people, and being around lots of books was, and is, great. But what most excited me about my new employee status was the opportunity to write staff selections. If you’ve been to BookPeople, you know what I’m talking about. Little laminated cards that contain a small essay that pleads with customers to buy the books we love. The styles are as diverse as we are, proper grammar is not needed, and approaches range from plot trots to unabashed begging. They’re fun, and, other than limited space, no restrictions are placed on them. Next time you’re in, check out what we have to say, but also pay attention to the bottom of the card. In a light blue banner running along the lower half of the card you’ll see the declarative sentence, “If you liked this book, check out this one, too!” Booksellers then fill in the space with a book title.

Every couple of months there is another article about the death of the short story. In Mother Jones, Ted Genoways does a fine job explaining some of the issues confronting the literary magazines that publish these stories. Although I wouldn’t disagree with much of what Mr. Genoways says, I’m more optimistic. I believe that good writing, really good writing, will always find a place, and right now the best young writers continue to put out phenomenal short fiction. Adam Haslett, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Oscar Casares have all put out short fiction in collections and through journals that will stand the test of time. We’ll be talking about these three authors for the next fifty years, and, if my little dream comes true, some of that discussion will focus on their shorter works.