Writer Edith Pearlman has become an overnight sensation - but it took a half a century. Her most recent short story collection, "Binocular Vision" (Lookout Books/2011) won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for nearly every big American book prize this year.
"Binocular Vision" is Pearlman’s fourth book. She's published more than 250 stories and been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories many times. One place Edith Pearlman has always been a rock star is in the offices of Lookout Books in Wilmington, North Carolina. Co-founders Ben George and Emily Smith have been fans of hers for years and they wanted "Binocular Vision" to be their debut publication. The book's success has made Lookout Books the true overnight sensation. Writer Edith Pearlman and publisher Emily Smith join host Frank Stasio in the studio today to discuss the rewards of short fiction and small presses.