Tall Cotton for Short Stories

My Woman Up colleagues had much to say when the New York Times ran a short story on its op-ed page this summer. While we didn't agree where the story should run, we did uncover a shared allegiance to the form, and a hope that more mainstream media publications would follow suit.

We got our wish. Shortly after our exchange, Politics Daily ran its first piece of political fiction, and now you can read prize-winning fiction writer James Grady's commissioned serial, "What's Going On: A Political Fiction."

We've got more good reasons to pop the bubbly this week. Last Friday, Oprah Winfrey, publishing's hit maker, picked "Say You're One of Them," a short story collection by Uwem Akpan for her book club. These stories will no doubt introduce thousands of readers to the form as well as give voice to African children who live in extreme poverty and violence.

Four days later, devoted short story writer Deborah Eisenberg received a 2009 MacArthur Fellowship or "genius grant." A meticulous craftsperson, Eisenberg writes about contemporary American life with wit and insight into the human psyche.

And Wednesday, the Baltimore City Paper ran a feature about 27 writers picking their favorite short stories because "some things are quite simply better said in short stories." Well put, and a prompt to forfeit the television remote in favor of a little literary sampling. Per Jen Michalski's suggestion, I'm going to track down "Some of us Have Been Threatening Our Friend Colby" by Donald Barthelme. I've also always wanted to read a Nabakov short story. Now I will.

Had the City Paper added a 28^th writer (not living in Baltimore) to contribute to the article, I'd have picked ZZ Packer's "Brownies," a story I recently re-read after Lizzie mentioned Packer in her piece about The Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers Award.

"Brownies" is a story about a group of African-American girls who attend a Girl Scout camp just outside of Atlanta. Richly layered and with the chilling precision of Margaret Atwood's "Cat's Eye," this story portrays the social politics of childhood friendships. With humor and heart, Packer cracks open the story in several places to pose brutal questions about personal power and the insidiousness of racism. This is the kind of story that can change you, the perfect primer to engage in discussions about racist attitudes that as Mia aptly stated, are a "part of the fabric of this country -- even if we don't acknowledge them in polite conversation." Too ambitious a goal? Maybe not. It's been a heck of a week for the short story.