The Short Story Initiative - September Heap!

Tweet Today marks the end of September, which means it’s the end of the September run for The Short Story Initiative. Before we move on to October, allow me to do a review of all the stories we’ve read within the past 30 days (and who have been participating). And you know, as I have only just visited September’s Mr. Linky again today after several days of working on papers for my class and trying to get back on track on my blogging schedule that was disrupted by a series of positive events, I’m warmed at the sight of all the links to the posts we have! What a heap! Thanks to all of you who joined The Short Story Initiative!

One of the amazing things that happened in September was that we have gotten to know each other more through our get-to-know posts (whose links I will also include here), especially our specific interests as far as short fiction is concerned. I hope you will continue to read short stories in the coming months and encourage others to join us. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join The Short Story Initiative!

I will move September’s Mr. Linky (as well as the link to this round up post) to The Short Story Initiative page so that in case you want to revisit this month’s featured stories, the link will always be there for your reference. I posted a new Mr. Linky for October on the left sidebar. If you have forgotten to post the links to your September short stories, please put them in October’s Mr. Linky and I’ll put them in the next round up. If you have any questions, just holler at the comments section. :)

So who expressed their interest to join The Short Story Initiative when this event was overhauled from being Short Stories on Wednesdays (originally owned by Risa of Breadcrumb Reads)?

Risa of Breadcrumb Reads - Risa’s get-to-know post made me happy, knowing that she’s back to blogging--at her own pace. And I’m doubly happy to know she enjoys O. Henry’s short stories, which are also enjoyed by many, including myself!

Jay of Bibliophilopolis - I always enjoy Jay’s posts on the short stories he has read. When I went over his get-to-know post, I chuckled when he said he “grandfathered in” by having participated in the Short Stories on Wednesdays. I’m mighty glad that did not stop him from joining Short Story Initiative!

Nina of Multo (Ghost) - Nina’s preference for weird tales has inspired me to explore further Filipino mythology and folklore. I have been lurking at her blog for a long time now just as she had been lurking at mine, especially for Short Stories on Wednesdays. Here’s her get-to-know post.

Che of From Kafka to Kindergartan - Che is one of the bloggers I admire for being a well-rounded reader, exploring literature of different cultures and nationalities. She’s gearing up for Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales! Here’s her get-to-know post.

Mel of The Reading Life - I owe Mel for rekindling my love for short stories. His vast coverage has introduced me to a lot of new-to-me short story writers, including Saadat Hasan Manto! His get-to-know post is here.

Sophia of Page Plucker - I’m really pleased that Sophia is joining. She’s new to the event and already starting her pace at reading short stories. She mentioned Ray Bradbury in her get-to-know post, so when I stumbled upon A Sound of Thunder recently, I was motivated to buy and read it.

HKatz of The Sill of the World - HKatz’s good short fiction posts have always been of different mix--be it authors, cultures, themes, or nationalities, which make them endearing and something to look forward to. She admitted to this variety in her get-to-know post.

And of course, myself. :)

So what short stories have we read in September? Here’s the exciting rundown:

Mel posted on a dark story by Saadat Hasan Manto titled “Kingdom’s End”, followed quickly by Manto’s “Two Rupees”. These stories are part of Mel’s project on short stories of the Indian subcontinent, something I would really like to explore soon.

Nina made a post about a disturbing story related to the Holocaust, titled “Dancing Men” by Glen Hirshberg. She also read interesting short storiess--Hagiwara Sakutaro’s “The Town of Cats” (and yes, I initially though it’s about Murakami’s Town of Cats) as well as Ryan Harty’s “Why the Sky Turns Red When the Sun Goes Down”, one of her favorite short stories. I also enjoyed her take on “Of the Liwat’ang Yawa, the Litok-litok and their Prey”.

I have long wanted to feature Roald Dahl. For some reason or the other, I haven’t gotten around to doing so. Sophia beat me to this (no hard feelings on my part--lol) by sharing Dahl’s “An African Story” and “Only This”, giving us a glimpse of the author’s talent not just as a writer of classic children’s stories but also as a short story writer.

HKatz introduces us in her interesting post to “Louisa” (by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman), a poor yet strong woman pressured to marry but has proven herself “a symbol for strength of will and independence”.

Risa shared four stories by Saki--The Music on the Hill, The Peace of Mowsle Barton, The Open Window, and Tobermory. This is an awesome post that prompted me to read some of these stories immediately online. Have you read any of them?

Jay made a lovely and honest post about Margaret Atwood’s “Significant Moments in the Life of My Mother”, Flannery O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back”, and John Cheever’s “Torch Song”.

Here at Simple Clockwork, I’ve read Washington Irving’s The Specter Bridegroom, The Broken Heart, and (of course) his popular works--The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. I also posted on The Night Monkeys: More Palance Prize Winners for Children, a collection of short stories written for children but might as well have been cleverly written for adults.

Thank you for sharing, all! Thank you for making the first month of this event successful! I hope I did not miss out on a link. See what an awesome month we have for The Short Story Initiative? I hope you’ll take the time to visit through these posts and discover how much fun short stories are. These participants have featured really amazing short stories. And this is a great way to discover new writers and appreciate an often neglected literary form.

I enjoined the others to join the event. You can just hop in and join at anytime. The mechanics are pretty simple, really. For October, the suggested theme is crime or suspense short stories, but participants are not required to follow. If you’re not sure what to read for October, just play along with the theme. I will make a separate post and make some suggestions to help you out.

Again, thank you and see you in October!


- Nancy -