Where Love is Found: 24 Tales of Connection »

Susan Burmeister-Brown and her sister, Linda B. Swanson-Davies, have been editing the national literary quarterly Glimmer Train for more than a decade. They live in Portland, Oregon. Their previous anthology, Mother Knows: 24 Tales of Motherhood, is available from Washington Square Press.

Susan Burmeister-Brown and her sister, Linda B. Swanson-Davies, have been editing the national literary quarterly Glimmer Train for more than a decade. They live in Portland, Oregon. Their previous anthology, Mother Knows: 24 Tales of Motherhood, is available from Washington Square Press.

For more than a decade, the literary quarterly Glimmer Train has sought out and championed the most compelling short fiction written today, by both established luminaries and fresh new voices. This stunning new anthology probes the whole range of human relationships — lovers, friends, family members, spouses, even one's beliefs and dreams.

In "Beneath the Earth of Her," acclaimed writer Karen E. Outen delicately probes the life of a loving, passionate married couple at odds over the prospect of having children. In "Gary Garrison's Wedding Vows," novelist Ron Carlson offers a poignant and delightful tale about a young woman who escapes the rigors of academia and finds love and purpose at a bird sanctuary in Utah. And in "The Marvelous Yellow Cage," O. Henry Award-winner Charlotte Forbes examines an elderly woman's relationships with her estranged children, her deceased husband, her loyal housekeeper, and a lifetime's accumulation of possessions. Stories by Quinn Dalton, Louise Erdrich, and a host of other writers dig deeply into the joys and sorrows of human connection — enlarging our perspective and refining the language of the heart. Where Love Is Found is a valentine for literary lovers and a delicious treat for those who crave short fiction by some of today's finest writers.

The Washington Post - Carolyn Kliener

In the end, it's a tribute to both the editors and their authors that nearly every story in this collection offers some fresh insight into the well-trod topic of love -- a thought or moment or expression that the reader can relate to and even learn from -- although, admittedly, certain tales are a bit more revelatory than others, and there are a few Lifetime Movie moments. Still, at this time of year, even the truest romantic should note that love of all sorts can blossom, persevere or end in spectacular fashion in almost any circumstance -- and it's hardly ever about that costly bouquet, although roses can be beautiful, and smell nice, too.