3 Short Story Writers on the Stories That They Reread and Come Back To

There are the stories and books that we simply read and cherish, and then there are those that we cannot stop thinking about, can quote verbatim, and find ourselves returning to. Why certain works transcend into the indelible is a mystery but we recognize it when it happens. For writers, these works become touchstones to not only aspire towards, but also to reread for comfort and renewed marvel. This interview features three writers whose short stories I always return to and reread. Jamel Brinkley is the author of the story collections A Lucky Man and Witness . His debut, A Lucky Man , invokes questions around masculinity as it explores the nuanced relationships of Black men and boys. Brinkley’s latest collection, Witness , scrutinizes what it means to see the world around us and how we then choose to carry all that which we’ve seen. Both books dazzle with precise language that reveals the complexities of longing. Xuan Juliana Wang is the author of Home Remedies , a collection that is divided into three parts: “Family,” “Love,” and “Time and Space.” Wang’s stories depict the dynamic and fearless youth of a new generation of Chinese and Chinese Americans as they grapple with each of these themes, painting for us a contemporary landscape of the Chinese diaspora. Sidik Fofana is the author of Stories from the Tenants Downstairs , a linked story collection that gives voices to the tenants of Banneker Terrace, a high rise in Harlem, as they face gentrification. While Fofana flexes his impressive control and range of voice in each story, the true gift is in taking a step back and realizing what these voices accomplish when put together. We discussed fiction that they are obsessed with, how they read their own work while writing, and whether form, be it short story or novel, affects their reading. Brandon J. Choi: Can you introduce your collection and what you were reading and rereading while working on it? Jamel Brinkley: Some of the writers that I find myself continually rereading showed up when I was working on both A […]

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