Stories

If every writer wrote an essay on "Why I Write", we would be gifted with compelling insights into the motivations and mysteries that lie at the heart of creativity. George Orwell wrote one such essay. And even the fact that he felt the need to explain why he writes is interesting in and of itself. Listen to this fascinating account by one of the 20th century's most quoted authors and whose name became an adjective to describe dystopian themes.

A woman's life is spent serving people and ensuring that the animals in her care are fed. She is on her way home, one cold winter's night, when fate steps in. The narrator of the story wants to get this story right because the memory of it left such an impression on him as a boy.

A big game hunter dismisses the pain and terror animals must feel when they are hunted down and killed. Then, by a twist of fate, he becomes the animal and runs for his life in this diabolical tale reminiscent of the M.O., modus operandi, used by Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen to prey on his victims.

This story has been adapted to radio, television and movies dozens of times.

Pretty girls are judged more harshly than average looking ones. Everything they say and everything they do is always in the spotlight. It's not always easy to know the correct thing to say or do especially when you are 16 years old.

This is a story about a beautiful girl who was attacked and what she did to get on with her life and how she finally made a fatal error.

They even had cougars back in the 1800s. And I don't mean the big cats, I mean older women who are attracted to young men. In this story she is called "La Lupa" or she-wolf. It all takes place in rural Sicily among the fermenting olives. Yes, they would be enough to drive anyone mad with desire. Have fun.

If you are nice to children, they will be nice to you, otherwise...A little boy, a garden shed and a vicious god. Enjoy this horror story by Scottish writer Saki.

Always listen to the old timers. Find out what happened to a man, in the far north and in extreme cold, when he didn't listen to good advice. A classic by Jack London.

The Outcasts of Poker Flat is a story by Bret Harte an American writer. It was made into a movie in 1919, 1937 and 1952. It is a story about the cruelty that society can inflict on its fellow human beings. This tale is all the more remarkable because of the resigned attitude of the victims. There is some defiance shown by Mother Shipton, but it pales in comparison with the "sentence" meted out by the town of Poker Flats.

Two criminals decide to capture a boy and hold him for ransom. They get way more than they bargained for. Enjoy this classic, humorous story by American writer O. Henry.

Welcome to Stories. A weekly podcast of short stories by good writers. This episode is called 'A Jury of her Peers'. It is based on the true story of a woman who was charged with her husband's murder. The author, Susan Glaspell, was a court reporter at this trial. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1980 in the Best Short Story category. It was also an episode on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1950s.