Beverly Jensen (1953–2003) was an American short story writer whose stories have appeared posthumously in the country's leading literary journals, in the yearly anthology ''

The Best American Short Stories The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of ''The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in con ...

'', the anthology ''Sisters'' (Paris Press), and the novel-in-stories, ''The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay'', published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

in 2010. Jensen wrote her stories based on the lives of her mother, Idella, and aunt, Avis, between 1986 and 2003. After her death from pancreatic cancer, her husband Jay Silverman and teacher Jennifer Levin (author of ''Water Dancer'') worked to publish the stories, with help from

Katrina Kenison Katrina Kenison is an American author of literary memoir and nonfiction about parenting, life stages, mindfulness, and simplicity. Her first book, ''Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry'', published in 2000, encourages paren ...

("The Gift of an Ordinary Day") and

Howard Frank Mosher Howard Frank Mosher (June 2, 1942 – January 29, 2017) was an American author of thirteen books: eleven fiction and two non-fiction. Much of his fiction takes place in the mid-20th century and all of it is set in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermon ...

("Walking to Gatlinburg"). "Wake" appeared in

New England Review The ''New England Review'' is an American quarterly literary magazine published by Middlebury College. It was established in 1978 by Sydney Lea and Jay Parini. From 1982 till 1990, the magazine was named ''New England Review & Bread Loaf Quart ...

and was subsequently chosen by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

for ''

The Best American Short Stories 2007 ''The Best American Short Stories 2007'', a volume in ''The Best American Short Stories series'', was edited by Heidi Pitlor and by guest editor Stephen King.Pitor, Heidi and King, Stephen (editors), ''The Best American Short Stories 2007'' Houghto ...

''. ''The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay'' has been praised by

Elizabeth Strout Elizabeth Strout (born January 6, 1956) is an American novelist and author. She is widely known for her works in literary fiction and her descriptive characterization. She was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and her experiences in her youth s ...

, Stephen King,

Richard Russo Richard Russo (July 15, 1949) is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher. Early life and education Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville. He earned a bachelor's degree, a Master o ...

(NY Times, Aug 1, 2010), and ''

O Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

'' (Aug. 2010).

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Beverly American short story writers Writers from Maine Southern Methodist University alumni 1953 births 2003 deaths