31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 13: “Title” by John Barth and “Elements of the Short Story” by Stuart Ross
Barth, like Ross, writes in a highly ironic mode.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 12: “Rhubarb” by Lauren Carter
The key symbol for reclaiming something of youth's vigour and potential is the rhubarb that serves as the story's title.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 11: “Doves” by Carol Bruneau
Bruneau's story is about human suffering and the willingness of people who witness it to intervene
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 10: “A North American Education” by Clark Blaise
As much as it is a story about sex, "A North American Education" is also a story about fathers and sons.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 9: “Striding Folly” by Dorothy L. Sayers
If "Striding Folly" does not represent Sayers at the height of her powers, it is nevertheless an intriguing oddity.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 8: “The Raincoat” by Martha Bátiz
Bátiz's story examines the class divides that permeate the city through the prism of a Mexican immigrant.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 7: “The Robot and the Baby” by John McCarthy
The story may not work as fiction, but it does illuminate some of the philosophical and ontological dilemmas swirling around the notion of sentient robots.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 6: “End Times” by Michelle Syba
Faith is, to those who don't subscribe, a kind of pandering to scared people.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 5: “The Earring” by Jo Nesbø; Robert Ferguson, trans.
The author's trick in "The Earring" is to convince his reader to sympathize with sad-sack Amund.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 4: “The Umbrella” by Tove Ditlevsen; Michael Favala Goldman, trans.
Ditlevsen is merciless in denying her protagonist catharsis.