If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Ghosts and Empties” by Lauren Groff. What can we learn from a ruminative story with very little plot? How can we turn our own real experiences into fiction? […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Country of the Blind” by H. G. Wells. Can a story be based on an aphorism? How does the Utopian tradition affect the telling? How would modern […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Sea Oak” by George Saunders. What can we learn from this crazy, hilarious story? How can fiction bring internal conflict into concrete reality? How can we create a […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. What can we learn from a story with such a devastating twist? How can we create an engaging story […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury. What can we learn from a quick science fiction story? How can a science fiction premise generate a story with […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. What can we learn from this quiet horror story? How does foreshadowing work? How can good, small-town chat help a story? How can […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett. Why did Kristine choose an old, nineteenth-century story, and what can we learn from it? How have the attention spans of […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang. What can we learn from this complex and heart-wrenching science-fiction story? How can we use very specific ideas from specialized fields […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” by Irwin Shaw. What can we learn from a story driven by dialogue? How does a story like this generate momentum? How […]

In this episode, Anna talks to eminent novelist and prolific short story writer Richard Bausch. They discuss his short story, “Isolation,” his novella, “Donnaiolo,” and what it’s like to have one’s work optioned and filmed in Hollywood. Richard will also read his recently published short story, “Trigger Warnings.” If you enjoy this episode, please consider […]