Why do so many readers seem to be afraid of short stories? Annie and Chris chat with author and professor CJ Hauser about how short stories are different from novels, how to approach a collection, and why book clubs should embrace shorts.

Stop worrying and love the short story!  Mentioned this episode: + The Collected Stories of Grace Paley + Selected Stories: Andre Dubus + Flannery O'Connor: The Complete Stories + We're in Trouble by Christopher Coake + Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson + Emporium by Adam Johnson + Later, at the Bar by Rebecca Barry + Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout + Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower + CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders + One More Thing by B. J. Novak + Music for Wartime by Rebecca Makkai + Difficult Women by Roxane Gay + Awayland by Ramona Ausubel + Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado CJ's favorite collections: + Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger + Bear Down, Bear North by Melinda Moustakis + St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell Annie's favorite collections: + St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell + Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson + A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor Chris's favorite collections: + No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July + Sorry Please Thank You by Charles Yu + CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders Learn more about CJ and find links to her writing on her website.  Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for our intro music. You can check them out at their website.  This episode is sponsored in part by Fontaine Maury, a branding and design firm with offices in Thomasville and Tallahassee. Check them out at their website.  You can find full episodes of our show on our website. You can support us on Patreon here.