Rural Voices

15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America

Think you know what rural America is like?

For most of America’s history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors’ real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home.

Buzz for Rural Voices

"A fresh and highly accessible contribution"

–Kirkus Reviews​

"From upstate New York to the middle of Alaska, these stories span geographic as well as emotional landscapes.​"​

–School Library Journal​

"Particularly rich storytelling"​

–Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books​

"a must-purchase for libraries serving middle and high school readers"

–School Library Connection

"...a layered, compelling collection that helps close the distances between us all"

–Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of HeCulture Unbroken, for NPR
An NPR Best Book of 2020

Junior Library Guild gold standard seal

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Nautilus Award shell symbol

Nautilus Gold Award & Nautilus Special Honors as Best of Mid-Grade/YA

TAYSHAS logo

Texas Library Association TAYSHAS selection

Buzz for "The Unhealthy Breakfast Club"

"Providing an impactful opening is Monica M. Roe’s "The Unhealthy Breakfast Club,” highlighting the unlikely friendship among four scholarship students from below the poverty line at an elite school in South Carolina."

–Publisher's Weekly

"a too-short story with a voice so good it'll leave you wishing for a full-length novel."

–Country Living Front Porch Book Club
Country Living Magazine Front Porch Book Club Pick