A Blog on Life, the Universe & Stories...

A reflection on 'caring' prompted by Langston Hughes' masterpiece of economic storytelling 'Thank you Ma'am' ... Portrait of Langston Hughes by German artist Winold Reiss. At just over a thousand words, Thank you Ma’am by Langston Hughes is a masterpiece of economic storytelling. He makes us care so much about the two characters that we cannot help but flesh them out. This is the essence of storytelling, to make the reader care. If they care, they’re engaged, they read on. I

A discussion on an intriguing short story by world renowned Russian author and playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekho v... “This story is...

Some food for thought for the festive season inspired by 'The Smile' by visionary English poet, William Blake... “It’ll be lonely this...

A reflection on short story 'The Interlopers' by Saki... Most people agree that feuds are generally a difficult thing. They cause stress,...

Surprise and delight in a Shared Reading session reading A. J Alan’s short story ' My Adventure in Norfolk' ... We had been talking about...

'The Fullness of Life' is a short story by Edith Wharton that asks big questions. It was written when she was young and it bursts with...

'Wenlock Edge' by Alice Munro prompts an observation about the power of the confessional. A participant in a reading group recommended...

Failure is one of the things we fear the most. If we have ‘nothing to show’ for our lives then who are we, and what was the point?...

A personal reflection on 'Sonny's Blues' - a short story by James Baldwin. There are some stories that take us on a journey into what it...

Today’s world wants more from us, and quicker. The immediacy of modern communication means we’re required to be available at the drop of...

“I am beginning to understand that my reactions to what people say and do are to do with the ways in which I have been conditioned – that...