A collection of short stories, essays, and poems, culled from small presses and literary journals.

Bill Henderson had an epiphany one day after buying a plot of land high atop a hill in Maine overlooking the sea: why not build a tower "for no reason"? For this lapsed Presbyterian, it all made sense. With his spiritual life in neutral, his marriage struggling, his daughter growing up, a tower was no less appropriate than, say, hiring a shrink or buying a fast car. Ignoring the fact that he knew little about construction, and armed only with a hammer, a handsaw, a tri-square, a tape measure, and a rope, he set about erecting a modest tower upon his not-so-modest hill. "Tower" is Henderson's...

This edition of the long-honored anthology of small-press fiction, essays, and poetry marks its third decade, an amazing feat of survival and excellence. Like previous editions, "The Pushcart Prize XXX" presents over sixty selections picked from hundreds of little magazines and presses with the help of over 200 distinguished contributing editors. In the Pushcart tradition, this fascinating collection combines the work of today's luminaries with a host of new talents, creating an exciting assembly of diverse voices. Since 1976, The Pushcart Prize has been "the single best measure of the state...