I feel compelled to correct an oversight—a lapse in my steady gaze at the flora and fauna of the current literary terrain. Though some might argue that literature and other parts of life are all taking place in the imminent moment.

Attention must be paid to Dave Daley’s labor of love,Five Chapters, which is based on a simple but brilliant idea. Each week Daley posts a (more or less) short story selected from the rich reservoir of short fiction ready to be taken in and given a good home. The stories are serialized each week, one section published every weekday. Currently there are almost 200 selections in his ever-expanding reservoir—from famous geezers like Jim Harrison to any number of raw recruits.

Even Virginia Hefferman—one of those snippy, young New York Times people, no doubt hired to attract snippy young things in between their Facebooking, Tweeting, binge drinking, and various modalities of “hooking up”—noted Five Chapters, though she seemed to read it while holding it at arm’s length.

Apparently Daley’s idea was too good to stay unnoticed, as a major publisher has flattered Five Chapters with a viable copy-cat site, currently publishing the up-and-coming Kyle Minor’s short fiction.