As anyone over forty can attest, the middle of life can be complex. It means assuming authority over both the younger generation and the older set: kids and aging parents. Still, midlife fiction has gotten short shrift, if it's gotten any shrift at all. For those who like a good story but are tired of youthful fiction, "20 over 40" offers welcome relief: a short story anthology by authors over age forty about subjects that have a lot to do with that too-often-ignored time of life. Whether the plot concerns tending to children, taking care of older parents, pursuing a love affair, facing one's own age, or just nursing a midlife crisis, these stories speak to the complexities of real life. These writers are no longer novices, yet they're not jaded or cynical. They know their craft. David Galef is a professor of English and director of the Yoknapatawpha Summer Writers' Workshop at the University of Mississippi. His previous publications include a short story collection ("Laugh Track") and two novels ("Flesh" and "Turning Japanese"). Beth Weinhouse is the current editor-in-chief for "Conceive" magazine and has worked as a freelance writer and/or editor for "Child," "Remedy," "Redbook," "Self," and "Ladies Home Journal."