The following Fourth Genre authors' works were cited as Notable Essays in Best American Essays 2011:

Joe Bonomo for "Occasional Prayer"
Tom Coakley for "How to Speak about the Secret Desert Wars"
Megan Nix for "Swim, Memory"
Colin Rafferty for "Surfacing"
Alison B. Thomas for "A for Telescope at the Sky"
Ryan Van Meter for "The Goldfish History"
Kathryn Winograd for "Bathing"
Lynna Williams for "Humor Is Not a Mood"

The Following Fourth Genre editors' works were also cited:

E.J. Levy "Artichoke Hearts" in Kenyon Review, Summer.
Marcia Aldrich "My dog Anubis" in Northwest Review, vol. 48, no. 2.
Michael Steinberg "Chin Music" in Gihon River Review, Fall.