A short story that first appeared in U. of I.'s literary magazine is honored as one of the best of 2004.
October 1, 2005
Literary Accolades

Several contributors to Ninth Letter, the literary and design journal published by U. of I., were accorded accolades in the 2005 edition of The Best of American Short Stories. The prestigious anthology, which has been published annually since 1915, is the flagship publication for Houghton Mifflin's Best American series.

Selected as one of 20 best stories of 2004 was "A Taste of Dust" by Lynne Sharon Schwartz, which appeared in the premiere issue of Ninth Letter in spring 2004. The story is reprinted in the anthology. Five other stories from Ninth Letter were named as Distinguished Stories of 2004. These were "The Knife Longs for Ruby" by Katherine Vaz, "In Hoboken, Where I Was Young" by Steve Almond, "The Novels of Raymond Carver" by George Singleton, "Apology for a Journey not Taken" by Ann Beattie, and "The Assassin" by Carol Emshwiller.

The stories for the anthology are selected by a series editor, who reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between 50 and 100 outstanding works. This list is pared down by a guest editor, who is widely recognized as a leading author. The editor for this year's edition was Michael Chabon.

The staff of Ninth Letter is relishing the accomplishments of its contributors. "It is rare for a new journal to win such prestigious recognition," says Jodee Stanley, the journal's editor. "We are delighted that Ninth Letter has made such a splash in literary publishing."

Ninth Letter is published by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Creative Writing Program and the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The latest edition is now available.

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