Fiction. Short Stories. The twelve Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize winning stories in TROUBLE IN MIND: THE SHORT STORY AND CONFLICT embody the Missouri Review's ideas about memorable fiction as well as exhibit our eye for talent with work by Jason Brown, Melissa Yancy, Alice Fulton, Austin Ratner and Fiona McFarlane, among others. Each well-made piece is dramatic at the core, with strong storytelling elements--powerful anecdote, mood building, and vivid characters. In TROUBLE IN MIND, the struggles mount, touching every aspect of our characters' lives--love, work, family, community, politics, and history. With a sureness of technique and economic swiftness, the authors presented here expertly blend external and internal battles that leave the character changed in a recognizable and meaningful way.