I hit something of a milestone this week: I have just 3 pages left in my short story journal (where I record each day’s story), and so I am moving on to a new blank journal this week, in order to keep complete weeks intact. It’s very satisfying to hold the finished journal in my hand. I think it might the very first time I’ve ever filled every page in a blank journal. Now on to Volume 2.

Besides the unpublished story I had to read and critique for my writing class, this was my reading for the week:

“Indulgence”, by Susan Perabo, in One Story – I love the way the author uses smoking as a way to move us through the story of a woman who learns that her mother has brain cancer. I admire the use of humor to alleviate the bleakness.

“My Mother’s Gifts,” Judith Claire Mitchell, from What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter. We read this story in a writing class. It’s short, but completely knocked me out with its precise use of language and imagery.

“Second Skin” by AJ Fitzwater in Crossed Genres (online magazine). I’m making a deliberate effort to read a diverse selection of short fiction, even when it’s somewhat outside of my comfort zone. Crossed Genres magazine has an interesting premise: each month the editors choose a theme and submissions must combine that genre with some elements of science fiction or fantasy. This month’s magazine features the theme “She,” and Second Skin is an examination of what makes a person male or female. It has a steampunk feel, and I enjoyed it.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. Wow. I’ve read very little Oates, and only novels, and she is not my favorite author. But this is the story that put her on the map, and deservedly so. Originally published in Epoch, then in Best American Short Stories 1967, it now appears in Oates’ collection titled Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Selected Early Stories. Wow. It’s creepy, filled with tension, and extremely vivid. I discovered later that it was the basis for the  1985 film Smooth Talk starring Laura Dern. I’m tempted to watch, although it appears that the filmmakers do not stay true to Oates’ ending.

“The Chemistry of Objects,” by Amber Sparks, from May We Shed These Human Bodies. I can’t tell you how much I love this collection. The stories are short, each one is different from the next, and they all make me think. You can read this story online, but put the book on your reading list.

“A Telephone Call,” Dorothy Parker. I read this story in Points of View, a collection of stories that focuses on the various narrative structures used in short fiction. This first story is an example of “interior monologue,” which the book points out is tough to sustain for very long. After reading this story, I agree. It’s interesting, but started to wear on me after a bit. Still, the story is quite effective told in this way. You can find the story online (it’s a classic), but you may get a kick out of this performance by Tallulah Bankhead.

I’m off to Booktopia in Bellingham, Washington this week, where I will pepper our authors with questions about short stories and read mostly flash fiction. I’ve got something fun cooked up for next week, though, so stay tuned.

At Books on the Nightstand, we’re dubbing 2013 “The Year of the Short Story.” In celebration, Ann is reading one story a day, for the entire year. We’ll also be highlighting new story collections, lit magazines, and online resources for short fiction. Below are links to all of our posts tagged “Project Short Story”

First, I’d like to publicly thank three brave souls, Xtian Paula, Callie LaFleur, and Toni Clark, who were brave enough to post or link to their list stories inspired by the May read-along. Well done, and thank you for playing along! I enjoyed all of the stories very much.

So now on to June.

James Salter has just published his first novel in more than 30 years, All That Is, to glorious reviews and major profiles.

So I think it’s time that we read a classic Salter story: “Last Night.” It’s one of my favorite short stories.

The story appears in Salter’s collection, Last Night: Stories.

At Books on the Nightstand, we’re dubbing 2013 “The Year of the Short Story.” In celebration, Ann is reading one story a day, for the entire year. We’ll also be highlighting new story collections, lit magazines, and online resources for short fiction. Below are links to all of our posts tagged “Project Short Story”

I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and I confess that I have had a few days where I have completely forgotten about reading a short story. So I’ve done a bit of catch up. I’m still on track to average one story per day — but my one story and only one story rule has gone out the window as I make up for missed days.

Before I list my two weeks of reading, a few bits of news related to short stories:

A new postage stamp in Ireland features a complete short story. This is the coolest thing ever. If any of you are reading this from Ireland and would like to send me a stamp, I will happily share my mailing address.

Lydia Davis won the Man Booker International Prize. This is a big deal. Davis is known mainly for her short stories, and some of them are very short. I had not read Davis until this week. Ali Smith wrote a nice piece on Davis for The Guardian that you may find interesting, and there is a second Guardian article that says Davis is considering writing some microfiction via Twitter.

Just today, the shortlist for the Frank O’Connor Short Story award was announced. Two of the collections appear to be published only in the UK, but I’ll try to hunt them down. I’ve read stories from Claire Vaye Watkins’ Battleborn and from Peter Stamm’s We’re Flying, and I’d love to sample some of the others before the award is given in July.

Lastly, one of the reasons I neglected short stories this week was because I was completely wrapped up in Elliott Holt’s new novel, You Are One of Them. So blame her. Elliott has been the source of many of my short story recommendations this year, so don’t be too angry. Elliott has also written some short fiction on Twitter, in a very intriguing structure of tweets. Check it out.

So on to my reading from the past two weeks. It’s chock full of flash and micro fiction, which is not only a time saver, but is becoming a favorite form of mine to read. I am constantly amazed at the way authors can build a complete story in 250 or 1000 words.

“The Seventy-Fourth Virgin” by M.C. Armstrong from The Pushcart Prize XXXVII (2013 edition) is the longest story I read this week. It’s a somewhat confusing story set in the near future US, where some kind of religious war is happening.

The rest of the stories are very short. In honor of Lydia Davis’ win, I read “Five Stories” by Davis as featured on Conjunctions. I don’t know if Davis meant the five stories to be on the same page, or if that was a decision that Conjunctions made. Are they five separate stories? I’m not sure, but I’m counting them as one. I particularly love “The Mice.”

“Produce” by Sarah Gerkensmeyer features a woman who cries on the fruits and vegetables in a grocery store.

“For my Uncle Danny” by Danny Nowell on the Tin House blog – flash fiction, in which the narrator remembers his Uncle Danny, who was a paratrooper in Vietnam.

“A Conversation at the Grownup Table, as Imagined at the Kids’ Table,” by Simon Rich on The New Yorker. This is one of three pieces under the heading “The Wisdom of Children.” It’s brilliant and funny and oh so true.

“Death and the People” (sample the first few lines here), “To Make Us Whole,” and “The Dictator is Drinking Alone,” all by Amber Sparks in May We Shed These Human Bodies. This is a very wonderful story collection that I want to read in its entirety. Of the three stories, “Death and the People” was my favorite, but they are all great — surreal, filled with imagery and humor, and short but powerful. After three stories, I can confidently recommend that you buy the entire collection.

“”Twins” by Pamela Painter and “Chalk” by Meg Kearney are both from a collection called Sudden Flash Youth, a collection of flash fiction where the characters are all young people. It contains many coming of age stories, some funny, some sad. This is a book for adults, even those who don’t read young adult, but fans of literary young adult fiction will also like this. It’s a great collection to share with a teen (though I’m keeping it a secret from my own kid so she doesn’t steal it).

The bulk of the stories this week, however, come from a collection called Micro Fiction: An Anthology of Fifty Really Short Stories, edited by Jerome Stern. It’s a small paperback, and each story is under 300 words. From this book I read:

• “The Poet’s Husband” by Molly Giles
• “The Cough” by Harry Humes
• “Daydream” by Robert Allen
• “Wrong Channel” by Roberto Fernandes
• “Harmony” by Joy Williams

My favorite was “Wrong Channel,” which is a funny story about language and being misunderstood, but also says something about the world. Hunt this one down if you can; it will make you smile.

I’m doing more travel over the next 10 days, and am looking forward to more very short fiction.

There was no theme to my reading this week, and I chose my stories more or less on a whim. Aside from my classmate’s story that I had to critique, this is what I read:

The week began with “Born of Man and Woman,” an incredibly disturbing story by Richard Matheson. This book was recommended by our friend Eric Kibler. Coincidentally, I read this the day after the three missing Cleveland women were found. There are just enough similarities in setting that an indelible line formed in my mind between the story and the news. I wasn’t able to find the story online at a site that was reliably authorized to reprint, so you’ll need to find this on your own.

“Meat, My Husband” by Lydia Davis from Almost No Memory – An odd little story about a marriage. The story begins with the narrator telling us how she learned that her husband’s favorite food was corned beef.

“Jack of Coins” by Christopher Rowe at Tor.com – This was recommended to me by Gwenda Bond, author of Blackwood. (She fully disclosed that Christopher Rowe is her husband). Set in a dystopian world, a stranger appears dressed in a band-leader costume. Who is he? Where are we? This story is full of wonderful imagery, and it made me want to learn more.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor. I read this one again for a class assignment, this time focusing on how O’Connor uses dialogue in such a masterful way.

“Regeneration at Mukti,” Julia Elliott. In The Pushcart Prize XXXVII (2013 edition), edited by Bill Henderson – There is so much here to admire. We meet our main character at a spa where they administer very unusual skin treatments to those who want to regain their youthful appearance. I came away believing that this place could actually exist. Maybe it does.

“Punchline,” by Erin McGraw, also from The Pushcart Prize XXXVII (2013 edition)- A priest has an existential crisis as a result of loss. Not my favorite story, but well crafted.

I know this is short and somewhat disjointed, but please know that I am still keeping up on my daily story. Some days it’s all I can do to take in the final words before my eyes close, but short stories have become my nightcap. I can’t imagine most nights without one.