Short stories

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews two new books: the short story collection Nice Big American Baby by Judy Budnitz and the novel Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh.

At age 70, the late writer and former boxing "cut man" F.X. Toole published his first book, a collection of short stories about boxing called Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, to critical praise. We rebroadcast a Sept. 26, 2000, interview with Toole.

The new film, I, Robot, starring Will Smith, is loosely based on Asimov's short stories. The author wrote about space walks before man landed on the moon but didn't particularly care for commercial plane travel. He died in 1992. (First broadcast Sept. 9, 1987.)

Book critic Maureen Corrigan considers Lucky Girls (Ecco), the debut short story collection by Nell Freudenberger.

Murray has written a new collection of short stories, A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies. Many of his stories are informed by his experiences as a doctor with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service when he traveled to developing countries like Burundi, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Murray is also a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, a collection of short stories by Alice Munro.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Interesting Women, the new collection of short stories by Andrea Lee.

Last year at age 70, writer F.X. Toole published his first book, a collection of short stories about boxing called Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner (in paperback, Ecco press). For twenty years, he's been a cut man, stopping the bleeding so fighters can go on to the next round. Toole has been writing for 40 years, but it was the publication of his first story in a small literary magazine in 1999 that caught the attention of a book agent.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new short story collection Flights of Love (Pantheon) by Bernhard Schlink.

Singer-songwriter Steve Earle has released ten critically acclaimed albums; his latest CD is called Transcendental Blues. He's just published his first book, a collection of short stories called Doghouse Roses. Earle is also politically active. He currently serves as a board member of the Journey of Hope and is affiliated with both the Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the Abolitionist Action Committee.