“Short stories can act like little tuning forks helping us to clarify our own values ” writes
guest editor Celeste Ng. “In a time when our values are being tested daily it’s hard to think
of anything more important.” The Best American Short Stories 2025 resonates precisely at this
pitch: twenty pieces that upend expectations and test the foundation of our beliefs. From a
bereaved medical actress obsessed with a student in her rotation to a mysterious sickness that
ignites a lethal running mania in its victims and from the grounds of a wild animal estate to
a celebrity look-alike mother-for-hire these stories transport readers to the impossible edges
of our world and vivify characters who reflect the spectrum of human experience. THE BEST
AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2025 INCLUDES: LAUREN ACAMPORA • SARAH BRAUNSTEIN • BRET ANTHONY
JOHNSTON • ELIZABETH McCRACKEN • CARRIE R. MOORE • ANDREW PORTER • WILLIAM PEI SHIH • JUSTIN
TAYLOR • JESSICA TREADWAY • AND OTHERS
