On Wednesday, May 7, John Updike chose Drinking Coffee Elsewhere [5] by Z.Z. Packer (Riverhead) as the 11th selection to be read by the "Today Book Club."

Locales in this debut collection of eight stories, featuring mostly young African Americans, include a Girl Scout camp, the Million Man March on Washington, Japan, and, of course, elsewhere.

Packer's stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, Story, and several anthologies -- including The Best American Short Stories 2000. Packer is the recipient of a Whiting Writers' Award and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Award.