The short story must use words precisely to build a believable world, but one that has an edge, showing us things that we may have seen before in a new and ineffable way. We will examine the international stories in the latest collection of the O. Henry Prize Winners not only for aspects such as plot, setting, character development, and literary style, but also for that ineffable something else. We will share what we think the story was really about, whether it spoke to us, and if not, why.

Format: Class members will lead the discussion of a story of choice, developing a list of 5-6 questions to guide the class discussion, questions that address issues such as setting, character and plot development, themes, the author’s point of view and writing style, and whether we detected that ineffable something else.

Resources/Expenses: The text, The Best Short Stories 2025: The O. Henry Prize Winners, Vintage Books, edited by Edward P. Jones, is available from local bookstores new for $19, or used for $13 or less from either alibris.com or bookshop.org, both of which sites support independent book stores.