Queens of the American Short Story

My sister got me Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri's collection of short stories (2009) for my name day. Celina devoured them already. The last year has been a short-story year. One of my favorite past-times has been listening to the New Yorker Fiction Podcast where a contemporary writer picks his/her favorite short story from the New Yorker and reads it. An illuminating conversation with the host Deborah Treisman follows. Treisman is the active fiction editor for the magazine. This podcast has been my primary source of a reading list. It has introduced me to a host of amazing North American female writers many of whom have been forgotten. Here they are in chronological order and they are all a MUST.

Jean Stafford, "Children are Bored on Sunday"(1948), read by Hilton Also
Mavis Gallant, "When We Were Nearly Young" (1960) read by Antonia Nelson
Julie Hayden "Day-Old Baby Rats" (1972), read by Lorrie Moore
Edwidge Dandicat "Water Child" (2000) read by Junot Diaz