Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Announces Editors for The Best American Series 2019

Guest Editors put their unique stamp on each edition, keeping the series vibrant and evolving

NEW YORK – Today, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced the guest editors of the 2019 editions of The Best American Series. Among them are New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Solnit, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr, and Samin Nosrat of Salt Fat Acid Heat fame. 

“The 2019 guest editors bring a wide range of backgrounds and experiences—and peerless literary achievements—to the Best American series,” said Bruce Nichols, HMH SVP and Publisher. “We are confident that they will help demonstrate that the American literary community is as vibrant and exciting as ever.”

  • The Best American Comics; guest editor Jillian Tamaki
    • Jillian Tamaki is a cartoonist and illustrator. She has co-written the graphic novels Skim and This One Summer and is the creator of Boundless, the hit webcomic that became the book SuperMutant Magic Academy.
  • The Best American Essays; guest editor Rebecca Solnit
    • Rebecca Solnit is the author of 20 books, including the bestselling book Men Explain Things to Me. Her most recent book is Call Them by Their True Names.
  • The Best American Food Writing; guest editor Samin Nosrat
    • Samin Nosrat is the author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat, host of the Netflix documentary series of the same name and a food columnist for the New York Times.
  • The Best American Mystery Stories; guest editor Jonathan Lethem
    • Jonathan Lethem is an acclaimed novelist of mystery and science fiction, including his recent novel The Feral Detective. He has earned many honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship and a National Book Critics Circle Award.
  • The Best American Nonrequired Reading; guest editor Edan Lepucki
    • Edan Lepucki is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels California and Woman No. 17 as well as the novella If You’re Not Yet Like Me. A contributing editor and staff writer at The Millions, she has also published fiction and nonfiction in McSweeney’s, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Cut, and elsewhere. She is the founder of Writing Workshops Los Angeles.
  • The Best American Science and Nature Writing; guest editor Sy Montgomery
    • Sy Montgomery has written over 20 books on animals, nature and the environment. Her most recent work is the New York Times bestselling memoir How to be a Good Creature.
  • The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy; guest editor Carmen Maria Machado
    • Carmen Maria Machado is the author of Her Body and Other Parties, a finalist for the National Book Award, and the winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction.
  • The Best American Short Stories; guest editor Anthony Doerr
    • Anthony Doerr is the author of Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See. He has two short fiction collections and his work has been featured in the New York TimesConde Nast Traveler and Orion.
  • The Best American Sports Writing; guest editor Charles P. Pierce
  • Charles P. Pierce is a sportswriter, political blogger, and author of four books, including Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything. He has written for a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, Esquire, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated and ESPN’s Grantland. 
  • The Best American Travel Writing; guest editor Alexandra Fuller
    • Alexandra Fuller is the author of the New York Times bestseller Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness and Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight. Her most recent book is a memoir called Leaving Before the Rains Come. 

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade Publishing

For nearly two centuries, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has published some of the world’s most renowned novels, nonfiction, children’s books, and reference works. As part of a leading global learning company, it is uniquely positioned to offer educational and entertaining content for all audiences. Its distinguished author list includes ten Nobel Prize winners, forty-eight Pulitzer Prize winners, fifteen National Book Award winners, and more than one hundred Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. Current and recent authors include Tim O'Brien, Natasha Trethewey, Tim Ferriss, Amos Oz, Ursula K. Le Guin, and a celebrated roster of children’s authors and illustrators including Kwame Alexander, Lois Lowry, and Chris Van Allsburg. HMH is also home to The Best American series®; The Whole30®, Weber Grill, How to Cook Everything®, and other leading lifestyle properties; books by J.R.R. Tolkien; and many iconic children’s books and characters, including Curious George®, The Little Prince, and The Polar Express. HMH Productions develops and produces media and licensed products related to brands such as Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail. HMH Audio, a newly launched imprint, will publish audio books of HMH front list and backlist titles starting in fall 2019.

Contact
Lori Glazer
SVP, Executive Director of Publicity
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(212)420-5840
Lori.Glazer@hmhco.com