The O. Henry Prize Stories 2015

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2015 gathers twenty of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines. The winning stories span the globe—from the glamorous Riviera to an Eastern European shtetl, from a Native American reservation to a tiny village in Thailand. But their characters are universally recognizable and utterly compelling, whether they are ex-pats in Africa, migrant workers crossing the Mexican border, Armenian immigrants on the rough streets of East Hollywood, or pioneers in nineteenth-century Idaho. Accompanying the stories are the editor’s introduction, essays from the eminent jurors on their favorite stories, observations from the winning writers on what inspired them, and an extensive resource list of magazines.

Finding Billy White Feather
PERCIVAL EVERETT

The Seals
LYDIA DAVIS

Kilifi Creek
LIONEL SHRIVER

The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA
MANUEL MUNOZ

A Permanent Member of the Family
RUSSELL BANKS

A Ride out of Phrao
DINA NAYERI

Owl
EMILY RUSKOVICH

The Upside-Down World
BECKY HAGENSTON

The Way Things Are Going
LYNN FREED

The History of Happiness
BRENDA PEYNADO

The Kingsley Drive Chorus
NAIRA KUZMICH

Word of Mouth
EMMA TORZS

Cabins
CHRISTOPHER MERKNER

My Grandmother Tells Me This Story
MOLLY ANTOPOL

The Golden Rule
LYNNE SHARON SCHWARTZ

About My Aunt
JOAN SILBER

Ba Baboon
THOMAS PIERCE

Snow Blind
ELIZABETH STROUT

I, Buffalo
VAUHINI VARA

Birdsong from the Radio
ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN

For author interviews, photos, and more, go to www.ohenryprizestories.com

Laura Furman, series editor of The O. Henry Prize Stories since 2003, is the winner of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts for her fiction. The author of seven books, including her recent story collectionThe Mother Who Stayed, she taught writing for many years at the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Central Texas.