In this episode of my food podcast, Hungry for Words, I interviewed Holly Hughes, the editor of the long-running Best Food Writing series.

We talked about the lengths she went to unearth great food writing., reading as many as 1,500 stories a year to curate each annual volume.

We explored her life before the series, as executive editor of Fodor’s travel books. When she started the series in 2000, many people didn’t think she could find enough food writing to fill a book.

We delved into what separates bland food writing from the best examples. I read aloud some of my favorite leads and we discussed why that particular piece intrigued her enough to include it. I worked up the nerve to ask why none of my work was ever included — and she offered an unexpected answer.

Be sure to listen to the end of the podcast; there’s some surprising news about The Best Food Writing series.