Pitchfork

When the 2007 edition of The Best American Nonrequired Reading hits bookshelves (in paperback and hardcover formats) on October 10 of this year, it'll come packed with one extra reason to make fans of literate, sensitive white guys get all McSwooney.

In addition to series editor Dave Eggers (of You Shall Know Our Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius fame), who once again selects the essays, short stories, screenplays, comics, blogs(!), and lit ephemera that comprise this eclectic collection, the sixth volume in the annual series will feature an introduction penned by Sufjan Stevens, very much in touch with his literary side in recent months.

Sufjan follows in the inkblots of previous Nonrequired intro scribes like Beck, Matt Groening, Viggo Mortensen, and Zadie Smith. We'd venture to guess that #1 Decemberists fan Carson Ellis did the cover art for this one.

Published by Houghton Mifflin, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 also includes contributions from Stephen Colbert, Alison Bechdel, Matt Klam, Scott Carrier, Lee Klein, and others. Students from Eggers' 826 Valencia writing center helped the editor choose material for this year's collection.