BAF: 65 Stories to Seek Out from Viet Dinh, Amit Majmudar, Melanie Rae Thon, Karen Russell, Aimee Bender, and More

Larry Nolen has now posted his shortlist for the Best American Fantasy vol. 4 that will, unfortunately, not be published. BUT, the list is worth reposting here since it points to a lot of great fiction that readers of fantasy should seek out. It also sort of points to the rationale behind publishing BAF--it's difficult to seek out all of the literary magazines out individually, especially if you want just the good fantasy from them. Although Conjunctions, Tin House, Black Clock, and a few others regularly publish non-realistic fiction.1. Leah Bobet, "Six" (Clockwork Phoenix 2)2. Kelly Barnhill, "Open the Door and the Light Passes Through" (Clockwork Phoenix 2)3. Peter Beagle, "Dirae" (Warriors)4. John Langan, "City of the Dog" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, January/February 2010)5. Ander Monson, "Decidicousness: The Mechanism" (Ninth Letter, Fall/Winter 2009-10)6. Antonia Clark, "How to Shoot a Tomato" (Mipoesias, September 2009)7. Robert Mayette, "Prison of the Gnome" (Mipoesias, September 2009)8. Rachel Swirsky, "A Memory of Wind" (Tor.com, November 2009)9. N.K. Jemisin, "Non-Zero Probabilities" (Clarkeworld Magazine, September 2009)10. Eric Schaller, "The Sparrow Mumbler" (New Genre, #6)11. Christian Moody, "Horusville" (Best New American Voices 2010)12. Julee Newberger, "Calvin Makes His Escape" (Gravity Dancers)13. Matt Bell, "The Cartographer's Daughter" (Gulf Coast, Winter/Spring 2010)14. Deborah Schwartz, "Music in the Storm" (Gulf Coast, Winter/Spring 2010)15. Fred Gavran, "The Reincarnation of Horlach Spencer" (Harvard Review, #37)16. Benjamin Percy, "The Tree" (Ecotone, #8)17. Aimee Bender, "The Color Master" (Cincinnati Review, 7.1 Summer 2010)18. Brian Beglin, "Something Ancient" (Cincinnati Review, 7.1 Summer 2010)19. Saladin Ahmed, "Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela" (Clockwork Phoenix 2)20. Catherynne M. Valente, "The Secret History of Mirrors" (Clockwork Phoenix 2)21. Michael Blumlein, "California Burning" (Asimov's, August 2009)22. Eugene Mirabelli, "Love in Another Language" (Not One of Us, #42)23. Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, "Monkeys of the Sea" (Glimmer Train #74 Spring 2010)24. Jenny Boully, excerpt from "not merely because of the unknown that was stalking towards them" (Gulf Coast, Summer/Fall 2009)25. Matt Bell, "A Long Walk, with Only Chalk to Mark the Way" (Redivider, vol. 7, issue 2)26. Joe Celizic, "Reborn" (Redivider, vol. 7, issue 2)27. Christopher Boucher, "Maryland" (Redivider, vol. 7, issue 2)28. Deirdra McAfree, "The Shield of the Norns" (The Georgia Review, Fall 2009)29. Amit Majmudar, "Azazil" (The Kenyon Review, Fall 2009) (Note: TKR is serializing this in 4 issues, I think)30. Will Kaufman, "Eris Sink Pluto" (Kaleidotrope, April 2010)31. Joan Connor, "Cassie Bunyan's Yarn: A Short Tale" (Green Mountains Review, XXII, #2)32. L. Annette Binder, "Halo" (Green Mountains Review, XXII, #2)33. Benjamin Percy, "Terminal" (Ninth Letter, Fall/Winter 2009-10)34. Viet Dinh, "Stomp Tokyo" (Ninth Letter, Fall/Winter 2009-10)35. Stephen Marche, "What Rought Beast" (Ninth Letter, Spring/Summer 2010)36. Traci O. Connor, "Starla and June" (Gargoyle 54)37. Adam McOmber, "Of Wool" (Ascent, Winter 2009)38. A.C. Wise, "A Mouse Ran Up the Clock" (Electric Velocipede 19)39. Teresa Milbrodt, "Cyclops" (Indiana Review, Summer 2009)40. Ben Marcus, "The Moors" (Tin House 42)41. Karen Russell, "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach" (Tin House 41) Note: She was chosen as one of The New Yorker's "20 under 40" writers42. B.R. Smith, "Caregivers" (Witness XXIII, 2010)43. Joe Meno, "Birdmen of Mars" (Redivider, Spring 2009)44. Judith Cooper, "Sister Light-of-Love Love Dove" (Shenandoah, Winter 2009)45. Kelly Luce, "Wisler" (The Southern Review, Autumn 2009)46.Gilbert Allen, "Ecumenical Bedding" (The Southern Review, Autumn 2009)47. Sean McMullen, "The Art of the Dragon" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, August/September 2009)48. Wayne Wightman, "Adaptogenia" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, June/July 2009)49. Elizabeth Hand, "The Far Shore" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2009)50. M. Rickert, "The President's Book Tour" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2009)51. Damien Dressick, "Accrual" (Gargoyle 55)52. Anthony Farrington, "Oh, You Turtledoves, All You Birds under Heaven, Come Help Me" (The Kenyon Review, Spring 2010)53. Melanie Rae Thon, "Lost Children" (The Southern Review, Spring 2009)54. Debbie Urbanski, "Taken" (The Southern Review, Spring 2010)55. Benjamin Percy, "The Mud Man" (The Southern Review, Winter 2010)56. James B. Pepe, "I am Enkidu, His Wild Brother" (Sybil's Garage, #6)57. Richard Parks, "The Queen's Reason" (Lady Churchhill's Rosebud Wristlet #25)58. J.W.M. Morgan, "Superfather" (Lady Churchhill's Rosebud Wristlet #24)59. Blake Butler, "Our Anniversary, Repeated" (Redivider, vol. 7, #1)60. Brad Modlin, "Dark Gray Door" (Indiana Review, 31.2)61. Aimee Bender, "Among Us" (The New Dead)62. Adam Peterson, "Blood Work" (The Cincinnati Review, 6.2)63. Micah Riecker, "The Drowned Girl" (The Cincinnati Review, 6.2)64. Laura C.J. Owen, "The Execution Trick" (American Short Fiction, Winter 2009)65. Tabaré Alvarez, "The Translation of the Bones" (ep;phany, Fall/Winter 2009)