Best American Opinion Page Essays?
January 25, 2012 § 6 Comments
We respect David Brooks as a writer and thinker, but really, can’t the Best American Essays people every once in a while choose someone — an editor or writer — who represents the literary magazine end of nonfiction:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announces its 2012 ‘Best American’ series editors
- The Best American Short Stories: Tom Perrotta (novelist, most recently of The Leftovers)
- The Best American Essays: David Brooks (New York Times op-ed columnist)
- The Best American Nonrequired Reading: Dave Eggers (editor of McSweeney’s); guest introducer: Ray Bradbury
- The Best American Travel Writing: William T. Vollmann (author of 17 books, includingEurope Central)
- The Best American Science and Nature Writing: Dan Ariely (author of The Upside of Irrationality)
- The Best American Mystery Stories: Robert Crais (best-selling mystery novelist)
- The Best American Sports Writing: Michael Wilbon (co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption)
The Brevity Blog 
I have the 2006 BAE and Lauren Slater was the editor…but I guess that *has* been six years…
And Mary Oliver did a fine job in 2009, with a variety of essays and publications. I’m still reading 2011/Danticant’s selections.
What really strikes me about this list is that not *one* of the editors is a woman. I know, I know, women have edited these books in the past. But still–has there ever been a year when *all* of these volumes were edited by women?
Why are there no women editors? For shame.
In his column, Brooks does promote outstanding magazine writing with the Sidney Awards:
I fear there will be a dearth of ‘literary’ essays in the next BAE …
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