Best American Nonrequired Reading 2014

I mentioned a while back that “The Saltwater Twin,” the first chapter of my book, is included in this year’s Best American Nonrequired Reading. Well, it’s in bookstores now and you can go out and get one for yourself!

They sent me a contributor’s copy, but I couldn’t wait. I had to go out and get one the day it came out earlier this month. I tried to act nonchalant at the bookstore, but wound up telling the cashier I was in the book. Oy. I will never be one of the cool kids. Speaking of cool kids, this year’s anthology was edited by Daniel Handler, who begins his editor’s note, “Dear Person Who Doesn’t Skip Editor’s Notes at the Beginnings of Books…”

He is funny.

I haven’t read the anthology yet, because I’m trying to ready the Saltwater manuscript to send out, but I’m quite delighted to be in such luminous, eclectic and interesting company. The really famous contributors, the ones with Wikipedia entries and Pulitzer Prizes are listed on the back of the book: Andrew Foster Altschul, Kathryn Davis, V.V. Ganeshananthan, Adam Johnson, Amos Oz, Nathaniel Rich, Yumi Sakugawa, Zadie Smith. And then in red italics, it says and others. That’s me!

Mingus was unmoved.P.S. Happy Halloween!