For more than 50 years Playboy has published fiction by some of the biggest names in the field–Steinbeck, GarcÃa Márquez, Gordimer, Bellow, Smiley–the list goes on and on. And since 1986, the magazine has sponsored its now famous College Fiction Contest, which annually receives thousands of entries from aspiring writers who seek the top prize: publication in the magazine’s October issue. Winners have represented schools large and small, public and private, from all over North America – the universities of Alabama, Virginia, Kansas, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Southern California; San Francisco State, Rutgers, M.I.T., Penn, Brown, Columbia, West Virginia’s Potomac State College, and Trent University in Ontario. In some cases winners have bested runners-up, who have gone on to achieve literary fame and fortune, such as A.M. Homes and Pam Houston.
The most important aspect of this diverse collection of stories is the one attribute that they all have in common: each is a stellar example of the short form written by an author who was still in school. Readers of fiction, writers of fiction, and teachers of fiction will find this entertaining and satisfying compendium to be unique and unrivaled, and an important addition to any bookshelf of contemporary literature. Enhancing this volume will be updated information on each contributor: the stories behind the writing of their stories, and how winning the College Fiction Contest has influenced their lives. |
