New Stories from the South 2026 by Miura, Robin

A revival of the iconic anthology of best Southern short stories featuring eminent and emerging voices.

This anthology marks the much-anticipated return of the annual story collection, New Stories from the South, gathering outstanding short stories written by Southern writers or about the American South. Stories were nominated by editors of literary journals and magazines, publishers of short story collections, and by prominent Southern writers who served as contributing editors for this volume.

The 2026 edition contains an exciting lineup of both well-known Southern writers and talented newcomers:

• Ron Rash
• Deesha Philyaw
• Mesha Maren
• Emily Nemens
• Ashleigh Bryant Phillips
• Tony Earley
• Exodus Oktavia Brownlow
• A. J. Bermudez
• Heather Swain
• Chelyen Davis
• Joanna Pearson
• Jody Hobbs Hesler
• Catherine Niolet
• Dean Marshall Tuck
• Emily Harper Ellis
• Farheen Raparthi
• Randy F. Nelson
• Lisa Wartenberg Vélez
• Pritha Bhattacharyya

This year's volume has an introduction by Appalachian writer Silas House, New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, and the poetry collection All These Ghosts (Blair, 2025) and is edited by Blair's Editorial Director, Robin Miura, who assumes this mantle from Shannon Ravenel, the Algonquin editor who launched the series and edited the volumes through 2006.

In keeping with Blair's mission, this anthology contains a wide range of voices reflecting the rich diversity of the South. The following talented writers served as contributing editors who helped select stories for this volume: Jason Mott, LaTanya McQueen, Daniel Wallace, Monique Truong, Chantel Acevedo, and Susan Gregg Gilmore.

Author: Robin Miura
Publisher: Blair
Published: 10/06/2026
Pages: 282
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781958888896

About the Author
Robin Miura is Editorial Director at Blair. She has worked in publishing for more than 25 years, first as a production editor for Oxford University Press and then as a freelance editor, proofreader, publishing consultant, and writing coach for publishing companies and individual authors. Robin's freelance clients have included Algonquin Books, Oxford University Press, Duke University Press, and University of North Carolina Press. She is also a founding editor of the online magazine South Writ Large (www.southwritlarge.com). She lives in Clayton, North Carolina.