Story Insights

Hello Lovers, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver is a short story about four people sitting around a kitchen table drinking. The conversation goes to what is love and Mel, the cardiologist...

Welcome Pet Seekers, Puppy by George Saunders is a tale of two mothers. Marie is a well to do mother seeking to buy a puppy for her kids. Callie on the other hand has a lot on her plate and is constantly busy with her...

Hello Soldiers, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce is about a most disreputable plantation owner named Peyton Fahrquhar. We Yankees have made clear if anyone interferes with railroad repair efforts...

Hello Survivors, "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury is about a bleak future a month ago in which all that stands is a single futuristic house with all its gadgets to help us out from irritating...

Hello historians, "Into Silence" by Marlin Barton is a short story about a young woman named Janey, her overbearing mother and a passing photo historian named Mr. Clark who is taking photos of plantations and related...

"Donkey Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched" by Steve Almond is about gambler vs psychoanalyst. Psychoanalyst Dr Raymond Oss has to taken up to gambling in his middle age. It's a pastime that does not consume, though his wife...

Trigger Warning! "Up in Michigan" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. We have a young man named Jim Gilmore who is a blacksmith from Canada and is adored by Liz Coates. Liz Coates is a waitress for Mr. and Mrs. Smith...

"Old Man at the Bridge" by Ernest Hemingway is probably the shortest story I will ever cover here unless I decide people on r/shortstories to allow me to discuss their stories here. "Old Man at the Bridge" is about an...

"China Men" by Maxine Hong Kingston is a fascinating tale of Chinese people living all throughout the US. This novel is somewhat a follow-up to her book "The Woman Warrior" which is full of tales from her mother. These...

Hello New Yorkers, Today we look at "Miss Cynthie" by Rudolph Fisher. Miss Cynthie is 70 years old and she has never been fifty miles away from her home. She has also never been madam before. She came by invitation of...

Hello travelers, "Fern" by Jean Toomer comes from chapter 10 of his novel Cane. "Fern" or Fernie May Rosen is a peculiar woman. She is beautiful and seems approachable, but really is not so approachable. The main...

Hello Snow Vacationers, "Let it Snow" is a short story by David Sedaris in which he tells of time in which school was cancelled due to snow, then another day, again, and repeated. Finally his mom kicks him and three of...

Hello listeners, Today we're looking at the stories I read in August along with Letter 3 from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. A few of these stories will haunt me for a while & Rilke's letter has had a...

Hello Socialites, This Saturday I want to you invite you to a reading of "Invitations" by Carol Shields. I know, I know, you have tons of other things to do. So does this lovely narrator of this story. Will she go to a...

Hello Voters! "Scapegoat" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a short story about overcoming corruption, ambition, and a scapegoat who will overcome his rivals. "Scapegoat" is a post Civil War story whose setting is the town of...