An Anthology of Rural Stories by Writers of Color, 2025 // EastOver Press, December 2025

“What matters most to me,” writes series editor Keith Pilapil Lesmeister, “is that short stories find readers who care as much about short stories as I do.” This anthology, guest edited by Deesha Philyaw, is not just for lovers of short stories. It is a collection of truths, of stories told in their own voice, of work that is difficult to find elsewhere. This collection is for anyone who wants to see into the lush, often unsung lives of everyday people. These stories will redefine what you think of rural America.

There is an urgency to these stories which carries throughout the collection. The stories hinge on life or death moments, on chase and pursuit, on revenge of different kinds. “There’s the Indian!” involves a small act of defiance—an Indigenous sit-in of a colonial restaurant. “Dollhouses” presents the narrator with a choice to protect, or not, a defenseless boy against the world. Each story offers the reader unique perspectives on everyday life challenges.

What I learned from this book is something about the power of a single, well-written story. These stories stay with you, and, I like to think, make you a better person for reading them. Plus, I have to say, I learn something about writing dialogue throughout these stories—in some cases the dialogue is so well written that it becomes its own character.

An Anthology of Rural Stories by Writers of Color, 2025—Add this book to your reading list for 2026, or start a book club with it. These stories need to be talked about.