Contents

• Introduction: why chick lit matters /Elizabeth Merrick
• The thing around your neck /Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Two days /Aimee Bender
• An open letter to Doctor X /Francine Prose
• Gabe /Holiday Reinhorn
• Documents of passion love /Carolyn Ferrell
• Volunteers are shining stars /Curtis Sittenfeld
• Selling the General /Jennifer Egan
• The seventy-two ounce steak challenge /Dika Lam
• Love machine / Samantha Hunt
• Ava Bean /Jennifer S. Davis
• Embrace /Roxana Robinson
• The epiphany branch / Mary Gordon
• Joan, Jeanne, La Pucelle, Maid of Orléans /Judy Budnitz
• Gabriella, my heart / Cristina Henríquez
• The red coat /Caitlin Macy
• The Matthew effect /Binnie Kirshenbaum
• The recipe /Lynne Tillman
• Meaning of ends /Martha Witt