Becky Mandelbaum, Fiction Writer

For an example of why we’re currently living in a golden era of short-fiction, read “The First to Leave Is the Winner” in the current edition of The Missouri Review, by Becky Mandelbaum. At once hilarious and poignant, childish and deeply adult, the story relates the lovelorn travails of an instantly likeable “loser” living in her ex-boyfriend’s house. Mandelbaum is an author with tremendous tonal control, capable of constructing long, beautiful sentences free of deadwood and strong on rhythm. She’s won important prizes and publishes widely. We anticipate a growing and enthusiastic audience for her work. Count us among the grateful.