31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 16: “The Unfinished Novel” by Valerie Martin
Valerie Martin’s long story is about a poisonous artistic rivalry.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 15: “How to Live Longer” by M.G. Vassanji
Two time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vassanji’s story is about missed opportunities and unfulfilled dreams.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 14: “Tits for Cigs” by Téa Mutonji
Mutonji’s story is an empathetic look at burgeoning female sexuality and the roles women are expected to perform in our capitalist system.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 13: “Firebugs” by Craig Davidson
The language of the story is tightly calibrated and walks a tightrope between lyricism and incipient violence.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 12: “Arsonists” by Chris Benjamin
A story about a granddaughter on the day she euthanizes her grandmother is also a veiled critique of the residential school system.
31 Days of Stories, Day 11: “Solitary” by John Edgar Wideman
The story is about the mother of an imprisoned son before, during, and after her bus trip to visit him.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 10: “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston
Hurston’s story contains the folk idiom for which she is known, as well as being a signal example of her concern with women overcoming abuse at the hands of men.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 9: “The Cloak” by Robert Bloch
Not a retread or homage, Bloch’s vampire story displays a momentum and technique typical of the author’s best work.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 8: “Toward Happy Civilization” by Samanta Schweblin; Megan McDowell, trans.
Samanta Schweblin’s story about paralysis and paranoia shares elements in common with Beckett and Kafka.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 7: “Fan Mail” by Peter Robinson
In this short, ironic work of feminist noir, the femme fatale turns the tables on the hapless men and their murderous scheme.