CONTENTS
Preface Joyce Carol Oates ix
The Toughest Indian in the World Sherman Alexie 1 Lobster Night Russell Banks 15 The Hermit's Story Rick Bass 37
1-900 Richard Bausch 53 Poor Devil Charles Baxter 75 Lavande Ann Beattie 91 Off Aimee Bender 107 Mercy Pinckney Benedict 119 VI CONTENTS
The Love of My Life T. C. Boyle 133
The Identity Club Richard Burgin 153
Son of the Wolf man Michael Chabon 173
Night Women Edwidge Danticat 203
Television Lydia Davis 209
Aurora Junot Diaz 213
A House on the Plains E. L. Doctorow 227
Death of the Right Fielder Stuart Dybek 253
The Girl Who Left Her Sock on the Floor Deborah Eisenberg 257
Disaster Stamps of Pluto Louise Erdrich 281
Reunion Richard Ford • 297
Reve Haitien Ben Fountain 307
The Girl on the Plane Mary Gaitskill 325
The Paperhanger William Gay 343 CONTENTS VII
City Visit Adam Haslett 363 To Those of You Who Missed Your Connecting Flights OutofO'Hare Amy Hempel 379 Emergency Denis Johnson 383 Double Exposure Greg Johnson 397 Old Boys, Old Girls Edward P. Jones 417 Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine Matthew Klam 445 Baboons Sheila Kohler 471 Once in a Lifetime Jhumpa Lahiri 483 Some Terpsichore Elizabeth McCracken 511 Cowboy Thomas McGuane 525 Sault Ste. Marie David Means 537 Ranch Girl Maiie Meloy 551 The New Automaton Theater Steven Millhauser 559 Viii CONTENTS
Paper Losses Lorrie Moore 579 Stitches Antonya Nelson 591 Landfill Joyce Carol Oates 607 On the Rainy River Tim O'Brien 629 Escort Chuck Palahniuk 647 People in Hell Just Want a Drink of Water Annie Proulx 651 The Red Bow George Saunders 669 Leslie and Sam Douglas Unger 681 The Brown Chest John Updike 697 Incarnations of Burned Children David Foster Wallace 705 Cinnamon Skin Edmund White 709 Who Invented the Jump Shot John Edgar Wideman 727 Bullet in the Brain Tobias Wolff 749