Best Short Stories

Featured Speaker: Ira Meislik

Are you looking for a treat? Why not try short stories? The Best Short Stories Group meets every two weeks to discuss two pieces of short fiction from world-renowned writers. All are welcome. The discussions are member-driven and member-led. Everyone’s perspective is encouraged and invited. So, whether you want to share your views, lead a session, or only “lurk,” you are invited to join this long-standing Osher group. Look at the list below. There, you’ll see stories by Virginia Woolf, Jorge Luis Borges, Joseph Conrad, Ralph Ellison, and others familiar and less so. Just because a piece is “short” doesn’t mean it isn’t rich with meaning and delight. Moreover, the best part about being an Osher member is that you can join your colleagues in reading and discussing new stories every two weeks.
 
We continue using The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (8th edition), by Ann Charters, but only for the first two sessions. Don’t worry if you don’t have the book. Links to the stories will be sent out a few days before each session. Do try to obtain the new book, one we’ll use for a year or two. It is The Art of the Short Story, edited by Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. This anthology presents 52 “Great Authors, Their Best Short Fiction, and Their Insights on Writing.” It is reasonably priced.

April 9:
Powder, by Tobias Wolff
Say Yes, by Tobias Wolff
Kew Gardens, by Virginia Woolf
 
April 23:
The Man Who Was Almost a Man, by Richard Wright
The Brown House, by Hisaye Yamamoto
 
New Book: The Art of the Short Story
 
May 7:
Dead Men’s Path, by Chinua Achebe
The Garden of Forking Paths, by Jorge Luis Borges
 
May 21:
Misery, by Anton Chekhov
The Storm, by Kate Chopin
 
June 4:
The Secret Sharer, by Joseph Conrad
A Party Down at the Square, by Ralph Ellison
 

Presenter Biography

Ira Meislik never read short stories unless his schooling required him to do so. Now he is hooked on the genre. He is excited to read this quarter’s selections and to get a better understanding of each through his membership in this Group. That makes him a prime example that no prior experience with short fiction is needed to participate in this fabulous discussion group’s bi-weekly get-togethers.