Story Insights

Hello historians,

"Into Silence" by Marlin Barton is a short story about a young woman named Janey, her overbearing mother and a passing photo historian named Mr. Clark who is taking photos of plantations and related places for his work. Janey is deaf and became deaf mysteriously years ago after falling ill. From there she lived at a boarding school for the deaf and blind which she enjoyed very much, but not she suffers with the demands of her strict and over-protective mother. One day, Mr. Clark hears about this household and decides to seek boarding there for a few days while he works. This is where our story begins. There is so much discuss with a person dealing with a disability and her her unrelenting mother...

Read: (Sorry, I didn't find a completely free accessible link as I often do) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236796354_Into_Silence or https://www.jstor.org/stable/40542399 

buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780547055329 or https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9781938235092 

let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Gamblers,

"Donkey Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched" by Steve Almond is about gambler vs psychoanalyst. Psychoanalyst Dr Raymond Oss has to taken up to gambling in his middle age. It's a pastime that does not consume, though his wife is still critical of it. Later Oss receives a new patient recommended by a colleague. The patient is a professional gambler named Gary Sharpe. Sharpe has a bad temper during sessions though really this carries everywhere. Oss wonders what it would be like to play against Sharpe and the foreshadowing tells us all that we need to know from there. Who wins? The Psychoanalyst or the gambler?

This story was tons of fun to read especially after the very last story I read. I personally am from Las Vegas, but I am afraid to gambling and I can feel both the excitement and dread of it all in this story. I would love to discuss this story with you. I could not find a PDF or audio reading of this story, though it is worth buying.

buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780984592234 or https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780547055329 

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Michiganders,

Trigger Warning! "Up in Michigan" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. We have a young man named Jim Gilmore who is a blacksmith from Canada and is adored by Liz Coates. Liz Coates is a waitress for Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Liz constantly goes out of her way to be around Jim. Jim is not so interested her, though she is hopeful. Then after a hunting trip Jim is drinking with some others. Later in the night Liz is pretending to read when he approaches her. They go for a walk and he later takes things too far. 

This story was from a set that wasn't stolen. The writing style is too sixth grade literally "Liz liked Jim very much" and "Smith liked Jim." I wrote trigger warning more for me than for you. I don't believe such stories should have a trigger warning, but I state partially for the reason it is intended and partially to make clear that I am being as sensitive as possible with this topic. As much as I would like to chat with everyone about any and every story ironically there's a lot for you to chat with others about this story, but I do not know how I would or could do this one. If anything this one is a test for me because sometime I wonder if I say thing cringeworthy later by accident, so here I state clearly for a long time that I am intending to be sensitive to this whole topic. Of course as popular as Hemingway is this story is available online to read for free, listen to or buy of course. Though, this would be one of the stories I'd be most shy to talk about even over stories like "The Husband Stitch" that had overlapping themes and topics.

Read: https://short-stories.co/@ernesthemingway/up-in-michigan-1knv7q4el63e 

Listen: https://youtu.be/aYE4C9tojqQ 

buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780684843322 

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

"Old Man at the Bridge" by Ernest Hemingway is probably the shortest story I will ever cover here unless I decide people on r/shortstories to allow me to discuss their stories here. "Old Man at the Bridge" is about an old man taking a break at a bridge after a long walk. He has been taking care of various animals but he is not a shepherd. The story is told to us by a roaming sentry during civil unrest in Spain. This would have been a good story to research the history of. I believe this story is about an old losing hope and is unsure of what to do. Yes, he is literally tired but he resting at an unsafe space, but I think there is some symbolism here. The story is so short that to write anymore here would spoil the whole thing. You could listen or read the whole story in just five minutes so I would love for to jump on any social media platform and chat with me about the story.

Read: https://rauschreading09.pbworks.com/f/The+Old+Man+at+the+Bridge+packet.pdf 

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k0zD1aLiLM 

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780684843322

Let's Connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Alaskans,

"China Men" by Maxine Hong Kingston is a fascinating tale of Chinese people living all throughout the US. This novel is somewhat a follow-up to her book "The Woman Warrior" which is full of tales from her mother. These two books are full of history, legend and myths. Honestly, I didn't know what to make of it all. Like Maui, the trickster, trying to trick people, really? Immigration judges are demons apparently. What's with all that? Then speaking to some friends in China about this book I gained another perspective on it. I don't mean to say I agree with recording history like this but I grew to sympathize with this view and type of recording of history a bit more. As always I'd love to hear from you.

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780679723288 

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello New Yorkers,

Today we look at "Miss Cynthie" by Rudolph Fisher. Miss Cynthie is 70 years old and she has never been fifty miles away from her home. She has also never been madam before. She came by invitation of her grandson David though she doesn't know how he is. It turns out he has a surprise for her. She doesn't know that and assumes her grandson may have a decent career like an undertaker. He has something better than to show her. Have you ever been to Harlem? Miss Cynthie has never been, but she recognized it immediately. I asked some people earlier if they have been to Harlem and how fast they would know they're there and said pretty instantly. This story barely predates Civil Rights Era literature though could probably fit in that category.

Read online: https://archive.org/details/cityofrefugecoll00fish_1/page/n9/mode/2up (my online classes used archive.org so I will too)

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780316380317 or https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780826218124 

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello travelers,

"Fern" by Jean Toomer comes from chapter 10 of his novel Cane. "Fern" or Fernie May Rosen is a peculiar woman. She is beautiful and seems approachable, but really is not so approachable. The main character tries. He thinks about her quite a bit. He finally takes the leap and goes up to her. Gosh, he had been thinking about her a lot. He traveled from up north, so why not strike up conversation with an attractive woman? So, he goes for it. He had already been thinking about her pose at her front porch. Though, their one and only stroll together turns out to be very, extremely, awkward. Listen and read all about it. I'd love to hear from you.

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780871402103 

Read: https://scalar.lehigh.edu/jean-toomers-cane-1923/fern or https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/60093/pg60093-images.html#FERN 

Listen: https://youtu.be/x3GAS8MJzKs?t=1981 (story starts at 33:00)

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Snow Vacationers,

"Let it Snow" is a short story by David Sedaris in which he tells of time in which school was cancelled due to snow, then another day, again, and repeated. Finally his mom kicks him and three of his sisters outside. They try to come back inside, they play, they wander, then then mom storms after them to shoo them back inside, but why? This question answered plus more. As always I am curious about what you think. Let's chat books.

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZqsEgwKAJ0&pp=ygUZbGV0IGl0IHNub3cgZGF2aWQgc2VkYXJpcw%3D%3D (missing first paragraph)

read: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/12/22/let-it-snow 

buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780316010795 

let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello listeners, 

Today we're looking at the stories I read in August along with Letter 3 from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. A few of these stories will haunt me for a while & Rilke's letter has had a special place in my heart for a long time. What you read matters too and I'd love to hear about what you've read. 

Check out the previous podcasts

Listen to Letters to a Young Poet: https://youtu.be/39D8QS4CtrI?t=913&is=YSl_U10LWdfg8yTd

Read Rilke: https://rilkepoetry.com/letters-to-a-young-poet/letter-three/

Buy: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/

Hello Socialites,

This Saturday I want to you invite you to a reading of "Invitations" by Carol Shields. I know, I know, you have tons of other things to do. So does this lovely narrator of this story. Will she go to a gallery of drawing, cocktail party, buffet, fine dining? She hasn't made up her mind and with each passing day there is a new invitation. Will she go? Also, she received a new book Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Decisions, decisions. What would you do?

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-PL3byOQk0&t

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1AEonhBqIk&t

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780060762049 

Read: https://sd41blogs.ca/dubes/files/2020/05/Eng12SS_Invitations.pdf 

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/