Short Stories by Women About Women

Discuss the unique contributions that female authors bring to short stories about women. Many deal with expectations about traditional gender roles and changing attitudes while others focus on women's struggle for agency. Students will receive PDFs of the assignments via email one week in advance of class and are asked to read once for story and a second time for how the ideas, language, characters, and structure contribute to their particular success. Students will also receive discussion prompts and are encouraged to submit written responses to be shared prior to class. Authors to be considered may include Alice Walker, Claire Massey, Julie Orringer, and Lorrie Moore.