The Best American Short Stories 2025

“Short stories can act like little tuning forks, helping us to clarify our own values,” writes guest editor Celeste Ng. “In a time when our values are being tested daily, it’s hard to think of anything more important.” The Best American Short Stories 2025 resonates precisely at this pitch: twenty pieces that upend expectations and test the foundation of our beliefs. From a bereaved medical actress obsessed with a student in her rotation to a mysterious sickness that ignites a lethal running mania in its victims, and from the grounds of a wild animal estate to a celebrity look-alike mother-for-hire, these stories transport readers to the impossible edges of our world and vivify characters who reflect the spectrum of human experience.

THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2025 INCLUDES: LAUREN ACAMPORA – SARAH BRAUNSTEIN – BRET ANTHONY JOHNSTON – ELIZABETH McCRACKEN – CARRIE R. MOORE – ANDREW PORTER – WILLIAM PEI SHIH – JUSTIN TAYLOR – JESSICA TREADWAY – AND OTHERS