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In this episode, we discuss “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen. What can we learn from this timeless story? How can a situation drive a story? What does the structure of the story provide for the overall effect? What does that structure require, and how can we apply those necessities to other stories? How important is narrative movement to a story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter. How does a character telling a story as a memory color the way we read it? How do we write about children? How do we write for adults when we write about kids? What makes a story “Y.A.”? Should we include more kids in our stories

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In this episode, we discuss “Symbols and Signs” by Vladimir Nabokov. Can a simple story be a vehicle for beautiful presentation? What is the hidden story embedded here? What does it mean to find the “meaning” of a story? What is the point of literary criticism? What is the point of literature? What makes a detail significant within a story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Trilobites” by B. D’J. Pancake. How can a character’s preoccupations and thought processes help build the fictional dream? How do we understand that a character isn’t confronting what’s really on his mind? How can an author draw the reader’s attention to things neither they nor the character are saying? How does setting function as a character?

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In this episode, we discuss “Cougar” by Maria Anderson.  How does a mood help drive a story?  How can we create a symbol?  Why are so many stories so sad?  How do mood, symbolism, theme, and other story elements work together?

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In this episode, we discuss “White Noise” by Emma Cline. How can you write fiction about a real person? How true to life should a fictional portrayal be? What can we learn about excellent characterization?

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In this episode, we discuss “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. Why is this story so good? How does the ‘we’ point of view work? What kind of narrative structure is at work here? How do character and plot work together? How can we portray a complete life?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Feminist” by Tony Tulathimutte. What can we learn from a story that delves so deeply into contemporary social issues? What can we learn from a protagonist that confidently refuses to acknowledge his own shortcomings? How does he nevertheless remain sympathetic? What can we learn from a story that spans more than thirty years? How does a summary style help span those years? How does this story handle the show-tell dichotomy? How important to fiction and storytelling is empathy?

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In this episode, we discuss “God’s Work” by Kevin Canty. How can a character’s internal struggle drive a story? How can a story driven by a character’s internal struggle be structured? Can we glean any tips for getting published in the New Yorker?

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In this episode we discuss “The Fifth Story” by Clarice Lispector. What can we learn from a piece of metafiction? What can we gain by telling a story in several different ways? How does fiction help us dig deeper into our feelings?

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