Pushcart Prize : best of the small presses. 2018, XLII / edited by Bill Henderson ; with the Pushcart prize editors.

Includes bibliographical references and author index.

Introduction / Bill Henderson -- Catacombs / Jason Zencka -- Thanks for coming in / Ron Koertge -- The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction / Anthony Wallace -- Imperatives for carrying on in the aftermath / Natasha Trethewey -- Bajadas / Francisco Cantú -- The plate-spinner / Steve Stern -- Memorial day / Brian Doyle -- Creative types / Tom Bissell -- Float / Reginald McKnight -- Michaux State Forest, New Year's / Christopher Kempf -- Tolstoy and God / Brian Morton -- The home for Buddhist widows / Blair Hurley -- The leash / Ada Limón -- Praying mantis in my husband's salad / Laura Kasischke -- Tidal wave / Valerie Sayers -- Act / Stephen Hess -- The boatman / Carolyn Forché -- Stranger, thank you for giving me this body / Teresa Dzieglewicz -- Zombies / Daniel Harris -- Freedom / Rachel Cusk -- It's something people in love do / Christopher Citro -- Elegy / Keith Woodruff -- Taut rhythmic surfaces / George Saunders -- Poem imposing order / Keith Ratzlaff -- Basic training / Mahreen Sohail -- Good hair / Safiya Sinclair -- The future consequences of present actions / Allegra Hyde -- When I think of Tamir Rice while driving / Reginald Dwayne Betts -- The dreams of kings / Sujata Shekar -- Mentor / Mark Jude Poirier -- Belief / Jamie Quatro -- My dear master Liszt / Ben Stroud -- Undocumented alien / Joyce Carol Oates -- Any common desolation / Ellen Bass -- Funny bird sex / John R. Nelson -- Bully / Amit Majmudar -- Famous actor / Jess Walter -- Desired appreciation / Solmaz Sharif -- Miracle fruit / Ethan Chatagnier -- Dixon / Bret Anthony Johnston -- Sad song / Chase Twichell -- I will love you in the summertime / Christian Wiman -- Elegy with grown folks' music / Saeed Jones -- Natural history / Camille T. Dungy -- Counselor of my heart / Lydia Conklin -- Beach city / Jaquira Diaz -- About the tongue / Christopher Todd Anderson -- Absolute rhythm / David Wojahn -- Milk / Ye Chun -- How we built our house / Thomas R. Moore -- Condition / Erica Dawson -- Burn scars / Philip Connors -- Language lesson for one / Pui Ying Wong -- Weekend trip / Anne Ray -- A small sacrifice for an enormous happiness / Jai Chakrabarti -- Abracadabra / Kathleen Lynch -- Dispatch from flyover country / Meghan O'Gieblyn -- On gay parenting / Andrew Solomon -- The ménage / Louisa Ermelino -- I told the water / Tarfia Faizullah -- Portrait of the alcoholic with relapse fantasy / Kaveh Akbar -- Gunpowder / Rebecca Hazelton -- Latchkey / Nick Norwood -- How to shoot someone who outdrew you / David Meischen -- Aubade for non-citizens / Lo Kwa Mei-en -- When you died / Jane Wong -- Reign of embers / Cecilia Woloch -- Maybe mermaids and robots are lonely / Matthew Fogarty -- Telemachus / Jim Shepard -- Everything you want right here / Delaney Nolan -- Special mention -- Presses featured in the Pushcart Prize editions since 1976 -- The Pushcart Prize fellowships -- Contributing small presses -- Contributors' notes.

"The Pushcart Prize is the only annual anthology to exclusively showcase the very best writing from America's alternative literary presses. Each year contributing editors, whose ranks include the most important writers of today, along with hundreds of small presses, nominate thousands of stories, poems, essays and memoirs for inclusion in Pushcart's collection. This unique submissions process ensures a diversity of writing unmatched by any other anthology. This year's gathering includes work by Brian Doyle, Carolyn Forché, George Saunders, Joyce Carol Oates, Ye Chun, Andrew Solomon, Philip Connors, Louisa Ermelino, Jim Shepard, and many more established and new writers representing 53 presses."--Back cover.