Baker’s Helper by Cynthia Anderson: Very intriguing, arresting with it’s poignant depiction of a beautiful little girl who seemingly starves because she craves but will not eat goodies from a bakery. Don’t quite get the ending, but it was a good read.
Before the Bath by Ismail Kadare: Excellent concept, though I’ve seen it before, of providing different repetitive endings that allow the protagonist some small bit of knowledge.
The Barbie Birthday by Alison Townsend: Good story arc, not much excitement until the end when we learn much more about the narrator and the meaning of it all.
Sashimi Cashmere by Carolyn Forde: Weird enough, not really a story that tells much of anything but a strange dinner.
Sleeping by Katharine Weber: Sounds rather tame, but believe that this had the most traditional arc of story and buildup of tension along with a twist and nice resolution.
The Jalapeno Contest by Ray Gonzalez: Good story arc, gross story.
Traditional Style Indian Garage by Chrystos: Psychological realism or stream of consciousness, funny, interesting, no real story arc, but fun unless you take it as a serious diatribe against America.
The Memory Priest of the Creech People by Paul Theroux: A story of a tradition, a legend really, which is the oldest form of story.
Rumors of Myself by Steve Almond: Who the hell knows. It didn’t intrigue me enough to try figuring it out.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology