The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012

The Best American Series(r)First, Best, and Best-Selling The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected and most popular of its kind. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 includes Kevin Brockmeier, Judy Budnitz, Junot Diaz, Louise Erdrich, Nora Krug, Julie Otsuka, Eric Puchner, George Saunders, Adrian Tomine, Jess Walter, and others [INSERT AUTHOR PHOTO] DAVE EGGERS, editor, is the editor of McSweeney s and a cofounder of 826 National, a network of nonprofit writing and tutoring centers for youth, located in eight cities across the United States. He is the author of seven books, including What Is the What, Zeitoun, Wild Things, and A Hologram for the King. RAY BRADBURY, guest introducer, was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. Among his best-known works are Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. In 2000, Bradbury was honored by the National Book Foundation with a medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. His introduction was written just weeks before he died, on June 6, 2012. Look for the other best-selling titles in the Best American series: THE BEST AMERICAN COMICSTHE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYSTHE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIESTHE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE AND NATURE WRITINGTHE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIESTHE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITINGTHE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING "