Our first challenge for summer reading for adults is reading an anthology. Anthologies are great to read when you don’t want to read a full-length novel. Anthologies are a wonderful way to read emerging writers you may not be familiar with. They also provide a myriad of perspectives on a specific theme. You can easily pick up an anthology and read a complete story in one sitting and then put it down again to return later.
What are Anthologies?
So to put simply, an anthology is a collection of writings from multiple authors that share similar elements. It could be a collection of poems or essays. An anthology could contain a compilation of short stories or song lyrics. If you are still searching for a great anthology to read then look no further. We have six stellar recommendations for you.
Six Anthology Recommendations
Dreamforge
A few times a year DreamForge Magazine publishes a new issue or anthology. They accept submissions from new authors as well as veteran authors twice a year. Their focus is mainly on science fiction and fantasy stories and you can read most of their stories online for free.
Their latest issue is called Solar Imaginings, Issue 11. Right now they have a Kickstarter campaign going on right now to help fund year five. It will expand their line up and DreamForge will offer more stories, options, add-ons, and an anthology-sized MEGA Issue, themed “The Grand Uplift.”
Writers & Illustrators of the Future Anthology
Since 1984 Writers of the Future Anthology has published a new edition each year. They just released Volume 39. L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is a unique opportunity for new writers to have their work published to a wide audience. Illustrators and writers are encouraged to submit their work and submissions are being accepted right now. They also have a lot of online resources for writers, a free short story workshop, and a great podcast.
Third Flatiron Anthology
The Third Flatiron Anthologies publish science fiction and fantasy stories as well. Their anthologies all have different themes. Their latest edition was published in 2022 titled After the Gold Rush which features stories that follow the theme of ecological consequences caused by human over-expansion. They also include a humor section, “Grins & Gurgles”. It is available on Kindle Unlimited or paperback.
Dangerous Visions
Unlike the previous two anthologies, Dangerous Visions is an anthology that was published in 1967. The volume contains a collection of 20 authors who had won or would win various writing awards like the Hugo, Nebula, or BSFA awards. This collection helped define the New Wave Science Fiction Movement and changed the way that readers thought about science fiction.
The Best American Short Stories
This yearly anthology is the longest-running and best-selling series of short fiction in the country. Twenty stories are selected each year that were published in print or online magazines. The BASS anthology strives to contain the best short stories written by the best-known writers in contemporary American literature. You can read the latest one published this year or find another from a different year. You cannot go wrong with any version.
Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space
This collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors is one you wont want to miss. Reclaim the Stars anthology features voices from the Latin American diaspora to places that are out of this world. This contains a little bit of everything. From sci-fi, to contemporary, alternate universes. There is something for every reader. From princesses warring in space to the devastation of climate change, ghost stories and mermaids. You won’t go wrong.
