Anthologies of any kind can feel — to me, anyway — like kind of a crapshoot. I don’t even generally love short story collections from the same writer, because I get annoyed when there’s a story or three I don’t like. Yet I continue to read many of the Best American series, and much of the time, they’re collections that I end up loving — or really liking. Over the years, I’ve noticed more diversity in the essays and pieces collected, including where the pieces were originally published. Let’s be honest: there’s only so many pieces from The New Yorker, The Atlantic, or n+1 that I can read (or want to read). Perhaps that’s not the most popular opinion, but give me a fantastic writer with a piece in Orion magazine or The Bitter Southerner than yet another lauded writer from The New Yorker. I think, of course, this also depends on the selection pile the editors have from which to choose, and the editors themselves — which is why I tend to get more excited with some guest editors than others. When I got an email about the forthcoming 2022 Best American books, I started to wonder more about the series: how did it get started, what’s the editing process like, and why are some Best American series not around anymore. If you’re also curious, let’s take a look! In 1986, The Best American Essays was published, and since then, different collections have been added (and discontinued), including Science and Nature Writing, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Food Writing, Nonrequired Reading, Sports Writing, Travel Writing, Spiritual Writing, and Comics, to name a few. Each year, a new guest editor is chosen for each book. These are often well-known writers in their field who will also bring a compelling perspective to the book and what they choose. Past guest editors of various series have included Ed Yong, David Foster Wallace, Lauren Slater, Samin Nosrat, Veronica Roth, Hilton Als, and others. There have been many series over the years, and some that I mentioned, like Best American Nonrequired Reading and Best American Comics, aren’t around anymore (those two were last published in 2019). There was even a short-lived series of The Best American Infographics, which was published from 2013 to 2016. I was a little sad to see that Travel was no longer being offered, and I wonder if that will change as the world adjusts to living with coronavirus and adapts travel accordingly (and all of the social, interpersonal, and political aspects that come with this as well). Being a single mom of a young child, I don’t often get to travel, and reading that collection was always a welcome reprieve.
The Best American Short Stories 2022 (Andrew Sean Greer) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 (Rebecca Roanhorse) The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022 (Jess Walter) The Best American Essays 2022 (Alexander Chee) The Best American Food Writing 2022 (Sohla El-Waylly) The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022 (Ayana Elizabeth Johnson)
It’s interesting to look at the series that are not being offered anymore, and to wonder what might be in the future: Best American Political Writing? Best American Parenting Writing (raises hand to be series editor)? Best American Tech Writing? Best American Children’s/YA Writing? Or maybe a defunct series will make a reappearance; there were always real gems in the Best American Nonrequired Reading collections. As the Best American series continues to evolve and grow, I know I’m looking forward to seeing all of the new editions that come out: the topics covered within them, the guest editors they choose, and the continued diversity of writers showcased. If you’re looking for more anthologies to explore, check out this post about new and forthcoming YA anthologies, or this post about comics anthologies. Have you ever read these? Which ones are your favorites?
