The Best American Short Stories - Since 1978

Since 1978

After Foley's death, the publisher—by that time, Houghton Mifflin--elected to take the series in a new direction. Under the guidance of a series editor (Shannon Ravenel 1978-1990, Katrina Kenison 1991-2006, Heidi Pitlor 2007- ), a different writer of reputation would select the contents and introduce the volume each year. The editor would choose the best twenty stories from 120 stories recommended by the series editor. This format has been followed since, although the guest editor has occasionally gone beyond what the series editor recommended (e.g., John Gardner in 1982).

In 2002, Houghton-Mifflin made the series part of its broader Best American series.

Guest editors of the BASS anthology from 1978 to 1989:

• 1978: Ted Solotaroff
• 1979: Joyce Carol Oates
• 1980: Stanley Elkin
• 1981: Hortense Calisher
• 1982: John Gardner
• 1983: Anne Tyler
• 1984: John Updike
• 1985: Gail Godwin
• 1986: Raymond Carver
• 1987: Ann Beattie
• 1988: Mark Helprin
• 1989: Margaret Atwood

Guest editors of the BASS anthology from 1990 to 1999:

• 1990: Richard Ford
• 1991: Alice Adams
• 1992: Robert Stone
• 1993: Louise Erdrich
• 1994: Tobias Wolff
• 1995: Jane Smiley
• 1996: John Edgar Wideman
• 1997: Annie Proulx
• 1998: Garrison Keillor
• 1999: Amy Tan

Guest editors of the BASS anthology from 2000 to 2009:

• 2000: E. L. Doctorow
• 2001: Barbara Kingsolver
• 2002: Sue Miller
• 2003: Walter Mosley
• 2004: Lorrie Moore
• 2005: Michael Chabon
• 2006: Ann Patchett
• 2007: Stephen King
• 2008: Salman Rushdie
• 2009: Alice Sebold

Guest editors of the BASS anthology from 2010 to 2019:

• 2010: Richard Russo
• 2011: Geraldine Brooks
• 2012: Tom Perrotta