During her 18 years as series editor of The Best American Short Stories, Heidi Pitlor read and assessed thousands of stories published in magazines and online in the US and Canada. Join Pitlor and short story writer Susan Shepherd on Saturday, April 25, 1 p.m. at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., for a lively discussion on the joys and current struggles of the beloved short story.
“We at Literary Cape Ann are really thrilled to present this conversation with Pitlor and Shepherd about the love of the short story,” says Literary Cape Ann co-founder Rae Francoeur. “We’ll talk with those in attendance about what editors look for in short stories, what makes a short story memorable and best ways readers can get the most out of a short story. We’ll also touch on some of the reasons short stories have a harder time finding publishers today.”
Before helming The Best American Short Stories series, Pitlor was a senior editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 10 years. She is the founder and director of Heidi Pitlor Editorial, a firm providing editorial support to authors, agents, and publishers. Pitlor is also the author of the bestselling novels “The Birthdays”; “The Daylight Marriage,” which was optioned for film; and “Impersonation.” The New York Times Book Review said of “Impersonation,” “Pitlor’s voice is witty and brisk…like sitting down with a refreshingly honest friend who skips the part about how great her life is and dives right into the real stuff. We need more friends like this. Authors, too.”
“If there’s anything I Iong for lately,” says Pitlor, “it’s genuine human connection. If there’s anything I read for, it’s the same. I look for smartly written characters, humanity of language, emotionally true descriptions of how we do and do not connect as people. These traits are what made me fall in love with fiction decades ago, and they’re what I find myself most drawn to still.”
Shepherd’s writing has been published in the Boston Globe, Ploughshares, the Chicago Quarterly Review, Story, Swamp Pink, the Harvard Review and One Story. Her story “Baboons,” from the Kenyon Review, was selected by Lauren Groff for publication in the 2024 “Best American Short Stories.” Shepherd’saudio work as a writer, producer and reporter has aired on NPR, Marketplace, and on multiple NPR shows, including her short fiction podcast 11 Central Ave.,which aired on a number of public radio stations around the country and won a Gold Medal for Best Comedy from the New York Festivals and a National Gracie Allen Award for Best Producer, Comedy. Shepherd recently finished the novel Animalia, several stories of which have been listed as distinguished stories in The Best American Short Stories.
Award-winning actor and audio book narrator Peter Berkrot will present dramatic interpretations of each writer’s work. The discussion will be followed by book sales and a signing courtesy of the Bookstore of Gloucester.
LCA is honored to host these esteemed writers and thanks Bach Builders for making these free events possible. Thanks also to the enthusiastic readers who attend.
Literary Cape Ann provides the community of Cape Ann with events and information that support and reinforce the value and joy of the literary arts.
Good Morning Gloucester 