These ten short stories--Valerie Hurley's winning story, Jasmine, washing the Hair of Pearsa, and nine finalists--show the range possible in the contemporary literary short story and offer a snapshot of some of the most compelling writing by established and emerging literary talents. From a pool of over five hundred stories, some published in very well-known journals and magazines, and many unpublished, our panel of readers selected these finalists, the best of the best, in 2007. Valerie Hurley's winning story, Jasmine, washing the Hair of Pearsa, was chosen from these finalists by our judge, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler. Here you'll find stories by: Jacob M. Appel, Stephenie Brown, Lauren Cobb, Greg Hrbek, LaTanya McQueen, Benjamin Noam Pearlberg, Matthew Pitt, Scott Winokur, and Mark Wisniewski.