Harvard Book Store; WGBH Forum Network; The Best American Short Stories 2010

Interesting Lee is talking about the main character there the poker analyst and he is in a couple of other short stories I like and that's what I do. I've written probably 10 short stories about the same set of philosophy grad students this like oh stories they're always doing but interestingly they're all the same story it's an entertaining story but they're all the same story doesn't have that thing that a novel has to do where it builds and gets bigger and describes and you know it maps out a bigger world so I'm just going to rub up against Rick and. The static electricity charge of novel writing. Yes I said working on my first now but I think I've mentioned this. We were talking over dinner I think I'm at the point where I feel pretty committed to I think it's that moment where if the source story is a more contained thing I love short stories I love reading short stories frequent teach about short stories I love to write short stories and I'm really a passionate devote of the form. But I've always wanted to I've always wondered you know try my hand in novels well and feel like you know a comic I worked up to.

Gumption I guess to do it and I think I hit the point this summer where it's sort of like with the short story the ending is always in sight in some way like you know it's coming as a clock kind of ticking and you know you're moving towards the end and there's this building and energy as you get towards the end of the story you know OK you know when you're writing her sense I think I'm about six pages towards the end about three pages to go. I know this is where it's going to happen bang that's where the ending has to come with the novel I feel like I've sailed out beyond the shore and I've just looked over my shoulder and realized I can't see land anymore. And all I can see is open water in front of me and I really hope there's something if I keep sailing forward you know maybe it's a moment that you know Christopher Columbus or the Vikings or somebody had really like well there goes Spain. OK next stop India. And so off you go and like like with Columbus I think I'm sailing to India but if I happen to hit the Americas I'll call it India and I'll say I'll plant my flag and say congratulations to me. So we'll see what happens.

OK why don't we open up to questions from you guys as heck we can. OK. Yeah I think we can just yell it out yeah we don't always like the curious about this for a long time so I'm excited it might find the answer. How does the guest get chosen and why specifically like a lot of people trading down is it a status thing like I'm just really curious about. I choose them so that's easy. We try to we try to pick me. At this point if you see me more away and it's become me I try to pick someone that that kind of straddles the line between commercial and critical that has had both commercial and critical success. Dabbous Why did you get a bump out of it. I think you see I you know I think everyone did. Actually this is a good question why did you say yes.

Was it for the money. Yeah. Well it is it's it's a tremendous honor I mean just look at all the. We could go down through the. Well we won't but we could get on through. People have been guest editors of Best American Short Stories it's a wonderful honor to be here to be asked. It is a good list and it's coming up to it's 1 100th anniversary so it's I think that gives. Some cred is like do you think it was chosen before it tried to get somebody. I'm just really chirpy for forget. Better yet like this person last time so maybe someone who has really different perspective I do. Some people say no a lot of it has to do with scheduling and how much time someone wants to devote to the writing vs. other projects. It's not as if it's not as well planned as we've had this perspective we need that it used to be men and women it's a little harder to do that.

I ask you know I try to plan a few years out and that's about it it's and I kind of have a wishlist. It's not it's not that exciting and. I do admire and who do I love. Liar I know face to face full of that yeah yeah yeah. Okay anyone else. Yes we're. Writing a letter.