Jones offers a complex, sometimes somber collection of 14 short stories, four of which have appeared in the New Yorker. As in his previous collection of short fiction, Lost in the City (1992), Jones centers his storytelling on his native Washington, D.C. Here, though, Jones broadens his chronological scope to encompass virtually the entire 20th century and a wide range of experiences and African-American perspectives.

Edward P. Jones reads a section from his Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction novel, THE KNOWN WORLD, at the Arlington County Public Library, Central Branch, in 2004. Jones' novel tells the story of a freed Black man in the Antebellum South who climbs up the social ladder from being an enslaved person to becoming a slave owner himself. Follows a Q&A session with the author.

"He took everything so calmly; did he imagine that she always kissed the man sitting next to her on the night plane from Miami?"

-From Miami-New York by Martha Gellhorn

Actors read fabulous stories that take place in transit, about adventures that would not have been possible without modern transportation. This compilation proves that a lot can happen neither here nor there, but on the way from one place to another.

Stuart Dybek's Pet Milk

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The thirty-three stories in this volume prove that American short fiction maybe be our most distinctive national art form. As selected and introduced by Tobias Wolff, they also make up an alternate map of the United States that represents not just geography but narrative traditions, cultural heritage, and divergent approaches.

An anthology celebrating the art of the short story, as honored by the annual Pushcart Prize, features outstanding works from a variety of notable authors.

"American artist John Wilson was not only a master draftsman, printmaker, painter and sculptor active for over seven decades, but he was also a keen observer and social activist. In his representations of Black Americans in particular, he sought to pay homage to the beauty and truths of ordinary Black people in such a way that all viewers, across race and culture, might see themselves reflected. His multidisciplinary works include unflinching representations...