A Clean, Well-Lighted Place isn't a stage for the same old names. Instead, this collection takes inspiring poetry and short fiction where others aren't looking for it-the bottom of the slush pile. After months of reading, the editors have distilled the work of these writers-next-door down to the most shocking and evocative pieces. From award-winning contributors Diane Lefer and Michael James Rizza to newcomers Jeffrey Haynes and Jared Salzano, the work is as diverse as it is brilliant. The speakers of these stories and poems get high on lotus flowers, become fur trappers in a post-apocalyptic America, and miss free-throws around Harlem. Each entry is a moment of our lives both powerfully and poignantly told.