May 6th, 2009 / 1:15 pm
Uncategorized

Wigleaf Top 50/2009

450px-tiny_house_Scott Garson has posted the Wigleaf Top 50 little stories for 2009. Darlin’ Neal, the selecting editor, writes in her introduction:

In choosing the final fifty, I looked for story. I looked for some sort of sense of completion, some sort of narrative movement. What drew me were shapes that offered more than a trick, more than a scene that cries to go on, more than a one-note joke. I discovered pieces, ends in themselves that take my breath away with sorrow or resonant laughter, leave me with lingering memories.

I’m not going to list any names here because I don’t want to type the names out, and I’d feel like I ought to list all fifty names. Many of the names on the list are no surprise (not a bad thing), and there are a few stories on the list from some old pros as well.

New this year (correct me if I’m wrong?) is the long list, the two hundred stories that Scott sent on to Darlin’ Neal to judge. I like having this list and the Top 50; both are a good map of what’s happening right now, a good reading list for those who haven’t caught up yet, like me.

So yes, congratulations to the Top 50ers, and thanks to Scott Garson and Darlin’ Neal for their time/effort.

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19 Comments

  1. Blake Butler

      yeah they had the top 200 last year.

      scott and darlin plowing through a year of internet is amazing

      radicalz

  2. Blake Butler

      yeah they had the top 200 last year.

      scott and darlin plowing through a year of internet is amazing

      radicalz

  3. Aaron

      Darlin’ Neal’s name has always drawn my eye and conjured a smirk as well, which how makes me curious: are writer’s names as powerful a device for grabbing reader attention as book covers? album art? band names? i just lapsed into an academic stance but Darlin’s name (Darlin”s ?) got me thinking.

  4. Aaron

      Darlin’ Neal’s name has always drawn my eye and conjured a smirk as well, which how makes me curious: are writer’s names as powerful a device for grabbing reader attention as book covers? album art? band names? i just lapsed into an academic stance but Darlin’s name (Darlin”s ?) got me thinking.

  5. Jimmy Chen

      text from a preempted post about the same thing:

      In response to Million Writers Award’s (and general gestalt in the lit world) 1,000 word and over parameter by which stories are deemed eligible for commendation, Wigleaf instituted a Top 50 list of stories under 1,000 words last year. The list this year has just been announced, selected by Darlin’ Neal (damn, don’t you wish your name had an apostrophe?)

      The list includes Mat’ Bell, Aaron’ Burch, Blake Bu’ler, Lyd’a Copeland, Stuar’t Dybek, Elizabet’ Ellen, Barry Gra’ham, Roy Kes’y, Ta’o Lin, Sean Lo’lace, Ravi’ Mangla’, Mary Mill’er, Kevin Sampse’ll, Brandi ‘ells, Derek’ White, among many estimable others.

      man it took me a while to apostrophize everyone…

  6. Jimmy Chen

      text from a preempted post about the same thing:

      In response to Million Writers Award’s (and general gestalt in the lit world) 1,000 word and over parameter by which stories are deemed eligible for commendation, Wigleaf instituted a Top 50 list of stories under 1,000 words last year. The list this year has just been announced, selected by Darlin’ Neal (damn, don’t you wish your name had an apostrophe?)

      The list includes Mat’ Bell, Aaron’ Burch, Blake Bu’ler, Lyd’a Copeland, Stuar’t Dybek, Elizabet’ Ellen, Barry Gra’ham, Roy Kes’y, Ta’o Lin, Sean Lo’lace, Ravi’ Mangla’, Mary Mill’er, Kevin Sampse’ll, Brandi ‘ells, Derek’ White, among many estimable others.

      man it took me a while to apostrophize everyone…

  7. barry

      2009 – the year of ji’my chen

  8. barry

      2009 – the year of ji’my chen

  9. david erlewine

      Will Scott/Ravi pick “Moat” for next year’s list?

  10. david erlewine

      Will Scott/Ravi pick “Moat” for next year’s list?

  11. Nathan (Nate) Tyree

      There’s some good stuff there, but the list should be longer. So many crushing things get left by the way. A lot like life, I guess. A lot like getting drunk in the afternoon (which I’m doing now). Put absinthe in your coffee and everything will be fine.

  12. Nathan (Nate) Tyree

      There’s some good stuff there, but the list should be longer. So many crushing things get left by the way. A lot like life, I guess. A lot like getting drunk in the afternoon (which I’m doing now). Put absinthe in your coffee and everything will be fine.

  13. Aaron

      excelen’ lis’, jimm’.

  14. Aaron

      excelen’ lis’, jimm’.

  15. Molly Gaudry

      Is that a picture of a doghouse? Lucky dog. And a great list, of course. And these apostrophes are great.

      Where is Shane?

  16. Molly Gaudry

      Is that a picture of a doghouse? Lucky dog. And a great list, of course. And these apostrophes are great.

      Where is Shane?

  17. Ross Brighton

      There’s a canadian (I think) poet called mynameisscott

  18. david erlewine

      The Kevin Wilson/Juked story reminds me why I love writing/reading.

  19. david erlewine

      The Kevin Wilson/Juked story reminds me why I love writing/reading.