Ed Park: On Unconscious Connections Between Short Stories
In this interview, author Ed Park discusses the culmination of 25 years of writing short stories into his new collection, An Oral History of Atlantis.
Ed Park is the author of the novels Personal Days and Same Bed Different Dreams. He is a founding editor of The Believer, and has worked in newspapers, book publishing, and academia. His writing appears in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Born in Buffalo, he lives in Manhattan with his family. Follow him on Instagram.
In this interview, Ed discusses the culmination of 25 years of writing short stories into his new collection, An Oral History of Atlantis, his hope for readers, and more.
Name: Ed Park
Literary agent: PJ Mark, Janklow & Nesbit
Book title: An Oral History of Atlantis
Publisher: Random House
Release date: July 29, 2025
Genre/category: Literary fiction; short stories
Previous titles: Personal Days, Same Bed Different Dreams
Elevator pitch: Gilt-edged stories that slice clean through the mundanity of modern life. Characters bemoan their fleeting youth, focus on their breathing, meet cute, break up, write book reviews, translate ancient glyphs, bid on stuff online, whale watch, and try to find solace in the sublime.
What prompted you to write this book?
These short stories were written across 25 years—my entire writing career. They came to me before, during, and in between my novels. It was incredibly freeing to play hooky from a longer project. I wanted these to be entertaining, crisp, perfect.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Several of these stories were written in one go—a concept or a title was all I needed. Others took longer. I’d write like the wind for 10 pages, hit a roadblock, then put it in the metaphorical drawer, until I’d happen upon it again and remember what I found enchanting about it in the first place. Then I’d finish. Then, hopefully, I’d publish.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
These aren’t all the stories I wrote in that 25-year span; I left out some worthy stories that didn’t quite the collection’s vibe. I wanted An Oral History of Atlantis to have variety but also an interior logic. As I shuffled and edited my selections, I saw connections between them that I’d not been unconscious of while writing each individual story. Though not exactly a novel-in-stories, the sum feels satisfyingly greater than the parts.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Probably the two best known stories here (“Slide to Unlock” and “The Wife on Ambien”) were each written in an hour or so.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
The pleasure of an unimpeachable sentence. The shock or joy of encountering a single character across multiple stories. Laughter.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Write the kind of fiction you like to read.
