A Conversation with ‘Best Debut Short Stories 2021’ Author Stanley Patrick Stocker
“Good things happen when you keep at it.”
A Conversation with ‘Best Debut Short Stories 2021’ Author Mackenzie McGee
“Speculative fiction at its best is outlandish at first glance, but ends up feeling immediate. That challenge is often what gets me writing—I want to take an absurd premise and see how deep it can go.”
A Conversation with ‘Best Debut Short Stories 2021’ Author Pardeep Toor
“Like any career, task, or pursuit, writing is laborious. You have to show up to work every day. Often you have a bad or uninspiring day at work and that’s fine because you get to work again tomorrow.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Shannon Sanders
“Every interaction between adult siblings presents a chance to get more clarity about the past. Hopefully, we’re able to seize at least some of these chances.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Matthew Jeffrey Vegari
“I wrote much of the story listening to jazz, including the title song, for inspiration on how to shift without imposing too much of a structure.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Willa C. Richards
“I wanted to portray the pain of trying to reach someone who is inside their own, unreachable pain, and how this often puts untenable pressure on relationships.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Kristen Sahaana Surya
“I think so much art—especially cinema—acts as an instruction manual for women.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Sena Moon
“It’s hard to keep the imposter syndrome at bay.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Valerie Hegarty
“Some studies have actually found that a cat’s purring can help mend broken bones.”
A Conversation With Best Debut Short Stories 2020 Author Ani Cooney
“Since March, how many have had to grow up fast and be valorous because of amoral, wicked, and cowardly leadership?”