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In this episode, we discuss “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges. What can we learn from this work of Philosophical Fiction? How can a speculative story be built upon a philosophical question? How does a story signal its thematic focus? How does a character make speculation into story?

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In this episode, we discuss “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami. What can we learn from this quietly contemplative story? What kind of structure can we find in a relatively structureless piece? How does the idea of grief influence the structure? What can drive a story forward?

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In this episode, we discuss “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. What can we learn from this classic of speculative fiction? How does its cartoonishness impact its humanity? How important is it for fiction to be grounded in human experience? How does our modern technology affect how we read this story? Is Vonnegut’s prose really “mechanical”?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this fanciful story? How does language help create the mood of the unfolding of the story? How can summaries benefit from little vivid moments? How can we make richly realized momentary characters?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon. What can we learn from this dreamlike science fiction story? How versatile and variable is point of view? How many different kinds of second person are there? What can we learn about point of view for our own stories? How do point of view and other devices create a sense of mental confusion for the character in the story? What can we learn about our own writing by recognizing a tone or character type we enjoy in other stories?

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In this episode, we discuss “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende. What can we learn from this story based on real events? How does point of view help define the emotional distance of a story? How can we turn real events or disasters into stories?

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In this episode, we discuss “Spring in Fialta” by Vladimir Nabokov. What can we learn from Nabokov and his ability to capture moments? How can detailed moments build up a story? How can a compelling character sketch create a strong story? How does great fiction grapple with the ineffable? How can we make non-visual descriptions vivid?

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In this episode, we discuss “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu. What can we learn from this affecting story with a touch of magic to it? How can we use a bit of magic or fantasy to enliven a story? How can magic help create cultural distinctions? How does magic and fantasy affect literary fiction?

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In this episode, we discuss “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” by Tadeusz Borowski. What can we learn from this devastating account of prisoners at Auschwitz? How can a stark, simple depiction create such a vividly moral story? How can characters raise and discuss moral dilemmas that the story confronts? How can we turn horrible personal experiences into fiction?

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In this episode, we discuss “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood. What can we learn from this playful bit of metafiction? How can we be playful and experimental when writing a story? How can a metafiction or playful form still have an emotional story arc? Can letting go of the rules and writing to discover what’s possible help us with our stories?

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