**A collection of the year’s best short stories, selected by National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee and series editor Heidi Pitlor.** “Without stories, we cannot live well,” shares guest editor Min Jin Lee, describing how storytelling affects and nurtures readers. *The Best American Short Stories 2023* features twenty pieces of short fiction that reflect a world full of fractured relationships, but also wondrous hope. A lifelong friendship may become a casualty of the Russia-Ukraine war. Rejected by his lover, a man seeks to reconcile with his family. Twitter users miraculously muster enough empathy to help a lost cat find a forever home. Enlightening, poignant, and undeniably human, the stories in this anthology bravely confront societal darkness and offer, in Lee’s words, “our emotional truths, restoring our sanity and providing comfort for the days ahead.” The Best American Short Stories 2023 includes [Cherline Bazile](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Cherline%20Bazile Cherline Bazile) • [Maya Binyam](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Maya%20Binyam Maya Binyam) • [Tom Bissell](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Tom%20Bissell Tom Bissell) • [Taryn Bowe](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Taryn%20Bowe Taryn Bowe) • [Da-Lin](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Da-Lin Da-Lin) • [Benjamin Ehrlich](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Benjamin%20Ehrlich Benjamin Ehrlich)• [Sara Freeman](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Sara%20Freeman Sara Freeman) • [Lauren Groff](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Lauren%20Groff Lauren Groff) • [Nathan Harris](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Nathan%20Harris Nathan Harris) • [Jared Jackson](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Jared%20Jackson Jared Jackson) • [Sana Krasikov](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Sana%20Krasikov Sana Krasikov) • [Danica Li](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Danica%20Li Danica Li) • [Ling Ma](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Ling%20Ma Ling Ma) • [Manuel Muñoz](https://www.goodreads.com:443/search/search?q=Manuel Muñoz Manuel Muñoz) • [Joanna Pearson](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Joanna%20Pearson Joanna Pearson) • [Souvankham Thammavongsa](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Souvankham%20Thammavongsa Souvankham Thammavongsa) • [Kosiso Ugwueze](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Kosiso%20Ugwueze Kosiso Ugwueze) • [Corinna Vallianatos](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Corinna%20Vallianatos Corinna Vallianatos) • [Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Azareen%20Van%20Der%20Vliet%20Oloomi Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi) • [Esther Yi](https://www.goodreads.com/search/search?q=Esther%20Yi Esther Yi)