As the publishing recession drags on, many young writers are advised to avoid short story collections--they seem hard to sell in this tough economy.

Earlier this week GalleyCat interviewed Laura Furman, editor of the annual O. Henry prize anthology, who debunked publishing short story myths. She's edited short story collections for years, and in this video explains that reports of the short story's death are greatly exaggerated.

May is National Short Story Month, a good time to check out the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009 anthology that Furman edited. The National Book Critics Circle blog has more short story celebration as well.