These eleven stories--E. R. Catalano's winning story, News from My Father, and ten nalists--show the range possible in the contemporary literary short story and offer a snapshot of some of the best writing by established and emerging literary talents. From a pool of over six hundred stories, some published in very well-known journals, and many unpublished, our panel of readers selected these ten finalists, the best of the best, in 2004. E.R. Catalano's winning story, News from My Father, was chosen from these finalists by our 2004 judge, Robert Olen Butler himself, who has this to say about the story: 'News from My Father' is a clear winner. The author has a ne--and all too rare--grasp of the essential characteristic of outstanding literary fiction, the need for manifest yearning in the central character. The narrative voice is clean and fluent and the story never loses sight of the human truths beneath the surface. Including stories by: Thomas P. Balazs, E. R. Catalano, Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, Roy Kesey, Glorida DeVidas Kirchheimer, Karen Kovacik, Dylan Landis, Kelly Magee, Lynn Veach Sadler, Marianne Taylor, and Charles Yu.