July 25, 2010

To pick just one

Last week, I offered up the chance to win my spare copy of CNQ to anyone who’d just tell me their favourite short story. Short stories, of course, being a most underappreciated form, but then what of the responses I received? Which were lists of short stories, because many couldn’t bear to pick just one. And magazines too, aren’t they supposed to be obsolete? But then everybody wants a copy of this one, perhaps for the keepsake inside, or its gorgeous redesign, or the wonderful articles and stories from cover to shining cover. One person emailed me the following a few days after entering: “Take me out of the CNQ draw.  I bought the issue today.  Couldn’t help myself.  I’m hauling 100 lbs of books and magazines across the country, but I still needed to have this issue.”

The bad news: if you’re reading this and haven’t heard from me, you didn’t win.

The good news: CNQ is on sale at your local independent bookshop (and probably elsewhere too…). You won’t be sorry.

Also, favourite short stories include:

• Alice Munro’s “Red Dress”
• (can’t remember title but) from Hilary Sharper’s collection Dream Dresses
• L.M. Montgomery’s “The Quarantine”
• entirety of Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Strout
• “My Husband’s Jump” by Jessica Grant
• “Coyote Columbus Story” by Thomas King
• Munro’s “Jack Randa Hotel”
• William Trevor’s “Three People”
• Michael Chabon’s “A Model World”