A couple of recent(ish) short story collections that I enjoyed:

Ben Fountain's "Brief Encounters With Che Guevara"

Donald Ray Pollock's "Knockemstiff" (warning, somewhat graphic and violent)

Both authors have full novels that I've read and enjoyed too, for what it's worth.

Those both look good. Thanks.

I think there is a new Granta of new writers that is pretty recent. I have to check into that myself.

Something new to me is A Thousand Morons by Quim Monzó, which is short-short stories and so far delightful, but I keep having to renew it because I end up reading other things. The Independent says he's "no exaggeration, one of the world's great short-story writers."

Oh, and I picked up the last two most recent Sedaris books because they were incredibly cheap/free.

My most recent short story read: 10th of December.

For short stories William Trevor is among the greatest ever, as is Flann O'Brien, aka Myles na gCopaleen, aka Brother Barnabas, aka George Knowall. Yes, both Irish, gan dabht.

I have also enjoyed essay collections by George Orwell, Joan Didion, and Joyce Carol Oates.

Flannery O'Connor

Thanks for reminding me I have The Pulphead Essays sitting at home.

Short stories: The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr. Dubliners by James Joyce. Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino. Like You'd Understand, Anyway by Jim Shepard.

Essays: A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman. Beauty and the Inferno by Roberto Saviano.

Thanks folks! Some great ideas. Joyce, O'Conner, Didion, Oates and Orwell I have pretty much exhausted.

I never get tired of John Cheever's The Enormous Radio and Other Stories. Just in case you haven't read it yet.

Absolutely read Cosmicomics and then T-Zero and Invisible Cities by Calvino if you haven't.

Haruki Murakami is a great short story writer, definitely read The Elephant Vanishes, After Dark and Bind Woman, Sleeping Willow.

You've read a lot of the classics, how about Borges? Can't go wrong there!

I love Stansilaw Lem's short stories, especially the Cyberiad and Mortal Engines.