Diane Williams, a master of the short story, celebrated the launch of How High? — That High, a new collection of short stories that expand the possibilities of fiction. The collection delivers a lifetime of insecurities, lusts, rejections, and revelations into ordinary moments, delivering visionary insights into what it means to be human. Williams’ devotees and new readers alike will be enthralled by the elegantly strange, bewitching stories
Williams discussed How High? — That High, the art of the short story, and literary craft with Matthew Daddona (House of Sound), writer of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and senior editor at Dey Street Books.
Featured Book
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How High? — That High
By Diane Williams
Published by Soho Press
Diane Williams, an American master of the short story who will “rewire your brain” (NPR), is back with a collection in which she once again expands the possibilities of fiction.
These stories depict ordinary moments—a visit to the doctor’s office or a married couple’s hundredth dance together—but within the quotidian, Williams delivers a lifetime of insecurities, lusts, rejections, and revelations, making her work equally discomfiting and amusing. With unmatched wit in every sentence, Williams captures whole universes in a story, delivering visionary insights into what it means to be human.
Williams’ devotees will be newly enthralled by her elegantly strange, bewitching stories in How High? — That High. Those who have yet to meet “the godmother of flash fiction” (The Paris Review) will find an extraordinary introduction in these pages.
In Conversation
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Diane Williams
Diane Williams
Diane Williams is the founder and editor of the distinguished literary annual, NOON, the archive of which, as well as Williams’ personal literary archive, was acquired in 2014 by the Lilly Library. She is the author of nine previous volumes of short fiction and the recipient of four Pushcart Prizes. She lives in New York City.
Photo Credit: Sarah Wilmer
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Matthew Daddona
Matthew Daddona
Matthew Daddona is an editor and writer based in New York. As a senior editor at Dey Street Books, an imprint of the world-famous HarperCollins Publishers, he has edited and published numerous New York Times and national bestsellers. His own fiction, poetry, and non-fiction has been published in Outside, Fast Company, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, UPROXX, Amtrak’s The National, Guernica, Tin House, Slice Magazine, The Southampton Review, The Rumpus, Writer’s Digest, and other outlets. His debut poetry collection, House of Sound, was published by Wandering Aengus Press in October 2020. As a former member of Flashpoint/NYC, a New York City writing collaborative, he has performed his poetry and prose in over twenty venues across the five boroughs. Matthew is also the recipient of an Academy of American Poets prize for poetry, and his flash fiction piece “On Shaft Mining” was a runner-up for The Blue Earth Review’s 2017 fiction contest. He is currently working on his novel, to be submitted to publishers in the fall of 2021.
Photo Credit: Kathleen Dempsey