The Best American Short Stories 2013, a volume in the Best American Short Stories series, was edited by Heidi Pitlor and by guest editor Elizabeth Strout.
[1] In her introduction Strout noted that she did not chose a story "primarily based on its subject," but that, for her, "voice" was a stronger criterion: That sound – if it is working well – has authority, probably the most important dimension of voice.
We look for this the same way we look for authoritative competence in any other trade… I don’t think readers think about this analytically, but instead, they experience it as a feeling about the writer that grows stronger as they read… (p. xiv)In the Kirkus Reviews review the volume was found praiseworthy and that " the Contributors’ Notes on the stories are fascinating", but also noted that it is "lighter on discovery and revelation than some previous annuals".
[2] In a review by Naomi Huffman in New City Lit the collection is considered to live up to its name and found to feature "no duds, even if a couple of the stories aren’t quite as good as the rest.
[3] This article about a collection of short stories published in the 2010s is a stub.