The essay is perhaps the most ravenous of forms, but these anthologies included letters, speeches (notably, a fair number of presidential addresses), excerpts from longer, reported works of non-fiction, and a number of works that I consider stories (like Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl,” which most agree is a short story, and some argue is a poem, but is certainly not an essay) or even actual poetry (John D’Agata, I know you’re a rebel and all, but “ For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffrey,” while incredible, is not an essay). Of the three, I was most surprised by the data here. This is the last survey of anthologies in a series-earlier this month, I looked at the most anthologized short stories and the most anthologized poems-and considering all three lists together affords the ability to compare the way the different forms are canonized and read in America. I ignored all themed anthologies, as well as any limited to a specific year or publication. I’ve always thought that was lovely.įor this list, I looked at 14 essay anthologies, plus the three volumes of Lee Gutkind’s The Best Creative Nonfiction and John D’Agata’s three-part survey of the form ( The Next American Essay, The Lost Origins of the Essay, and The Making of the American Essay), for a total of 20 books published between 19. After all, the word essay comes from the French verb essayer, which means “to try.” Essays are merely attempts, at expression, or at proof they claim to be nothing more. But in actuality, essays are nothing like the staid, formulaic, boring things they make you write in high school.

After all, here in America at least, our introduction to the essay often comes complete with five paragraphs and “repeat but rephrase” and other soul-killing rules.

She has been the recipient of many awards, including a Ferro-Grumley Award and two ALA awards.ĭorothy Allison's appearance is co-sponsored by the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media of Columbia College Chicago.Depending on who you are, the word “essay” may make you squirm. Glave will be reading from his new collection of stories, The Torturer's Wife, which expands and deepens his lyrical experimentation in stories that focus on the horrors of dictatorships, anti-gay violence, erotic longing, and the weight of traumatized memory.ĭorothy Allison is the author of the phenomenal novels Bastard Out of Carolina and Cavedweller, the short story collection Trash, the essay collection Two or Three Things I Know For Sure. Are we ever excited about this literary double header featuring two award-winning GLBTQ authors! Author of the acclaimed story collection Whose Song? and the Lammie-Award winning book of essays Words to Our Now, Glave is known for his stylistic brio and courageous explorations of race and sexuality.

Two or three things i know for sure