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In this episode, we discuss “Leaf by Niggle” by J. R. R. Tolkien. What can we learn from this little tale? Is this a religious allegory? How does an allegorical framework limit how we understand or how we might write a story? What are the limitations of interpretive criticism? How is this story so much more than an allegory? What do we want to accomplish with fiction?

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In this episode, we discuss “This is How You Fail to Ghost Him” by Victoria McCurdy. What can we learn from a piece of flash fiction? How can flash fiction satisfy us? What can be accomplished in such limited space? How does flash fiction allow us to try things out, like unusual points of view?

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In this episode, we discuss “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver. What can we learn from a paradigm example of a short story? How can we fit an emotionally satisfying character arc into a short story? How can we craft great dialogue? How can we achieve a legitimately moving ending in a story?

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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? How does a story differ from a personal essay? How does fiction establish a character’s state of mind by paying attention to what they notice and respond to? How does that method contrast with the device of using fictive elements to embody inner conflicts?

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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 storytelling styles impact the structure and narration? What are we meant to take away from it?

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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 concrete representation of a character’s self-reflective feelings? How can we create a satirical tone that is true to character? How do we imagine characters that are different than we are? How as writers can we do weird, memorable stuff and have fun?

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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 out of a cheap trick that we’re usually advised to avoid? What’s a good length for a story? Is this a story? Does fiction need to be a story?

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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 such strong emotions? How can we show emotions in a story? What makes good science fiction? How can a simple story still be so affecting? How can an emotional extreme be the center of a story?

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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 something familiar be undermined to make it horrifying?

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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 readers changed over the past century? How does the character’s connection with the setting help drive the story?

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