A short story is a kind of time capsule. In a handful of pages, a writer must do what a novelist has hundreds to accomplish.

 

Conjuring a whole world, a life, a revelation  - and so every word has to earn its place. That economy is the art of it. Nothing wasted, nothing idle; a single image or line asked to carry enormous weight. To read a great short story is to watch a writer work at the very edge of what can be done with very little.

 

There’s a particular joy in it, too. A short story you can read in an evening, think over for a week, and discuss with friends. 

 

Short fiction rewards attention. We’d suggest reading each story twice. The first time, simply let it carry you, and take away whatever it gives you. Then come back and read more slowly - asking questions, noticing which moments bear weight, wondering what the writer intended, considering the world they lived in. Multiple readings can allow for richer discovery.