Short-story gems fill new anthology out of UNC Wilmington

Ecotone, UNC Wilmington’s well-regarded literary magazine, is marking its 10th anniversary this year with its first story anthology, “Astoria to Zion: Twenty-Six Stories of Risk and Abandon from Ecotone’s First Decade” (Lookout Books; $18.95.)

Even if you don’t know Ecotone, you’ll probably recognize authors in this collection of stories that were first published in the magazine. There’s Ron Rash with “Burning Bright,” for instance, which became the title story of his award-winning collection. Also, Edith Pearlman, winner the National Book Critics Circle Award for “Binocular Vision.”

Other contributors include Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler; Lauren Groff, whose novel “Arcadia” was a New York Times Notable Book; and novelist and essayist Steve Almond, who wrote the recent thought-provoking essay in The New York Times magazine, “Is It Immoral to Watch the Superbowl?"

Speaking of anniversaries, congratulations to The Sun, which turns 40 this year. The Chapel Hill-based monthly literary magazine is remarkable in several ways. For one thing, it manages to survive without advertising. Over the years, writing from the magazine has won the Pushcart Prize, been published in “Best American Short Stories” and “Best American Essays” and been broadcast on National Public Radio.

Goodbye from here

This is my last Reading Life column, though you’ll still see me in the Observer. I’ll be writing features on a variety of subjects.

Dannye Romine Powell is taking over the column, and if you’re a longtime reader, you know that’s good news. Dannye edited the Observer’s book section from 1975 to 1992. In 1994, she published some of her best author interviews in “Parting the Curtains: Interviews with Southern Writers.” On top of that, she’s a prize-winning poet. Look for her first column on March 16.