Tales We Read
Wherever you are physically, we invite you to escape and gather online throughout the Fall semester to take short mental breaks from homework through a fool-proof method of distraction: reading short stories and discussing related issues with fellow students.
Based on feedback from the discussions at Summer Tales and Books We Read, this program combines the benefits of creating virtual communities during difficult times in a non-credit “course” in Canvas, building on our experience and practices that actually work. See more in our public guide.
Check out the schedule of titles this fall. Join Tales We Read any time. Stay as long as you want, participate in the discussions as much as you like, or just enjoy reading a new story every other week or so.
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- Register to the course in Canvas (self-registration, approved by Books We Read staff)
- Find the modules and read the short story of the week
- Think about the story and how you can relate to it
- Share your thoughts in the discussion thread
- Read what others posted and respond in the discussion thread
- See more in the Canvas course – Register TODAY
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9/23/2020 Kickoff – Harry Potter Sprint
Flash Fiction9/23/2020 Carmen Maria Machado:
Eight Bites10/7/2020 Neil Gaiman:
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury10/21/2020 Daniel Keyes:
Flowers for Algernon11/4/2020 David Sedaris:
Hurricane Season11/18/2020 N. K. Jemisin:
The City Born Great12/2/2020 Joyce Carol Oates:
Where Is Here? -
If you’re already someone who reads for pleasure, you know what that pleasure is like; if you’re not, then you’ll have to trust us that it’s a lot of fun to read when you don’t have to worry about a quiz or a paper.
If picking up a work of literature can feel like wandering into a gym full of body builders, think of this as a judgment-free, no-pressure fitness program.
Some practical benefits:
- Becoming a better reader will serve you well in any field of study, and practically any career.
- Reading good books also makes you a better writer and speaker, more able to capture and command people’s attention with your words.
- Talking about books you’ve read can also help you make a good first impression on people, from first dates to job interviews.
- Being a reader is a quality people admire (as long as you’re not too smug about it)!
We’ve chosen short stories in part because they’re short: easy to finish no matter your reading pace and easy to hold in your mind all at once when discussing so that we can all be on the same page, literally and figuratively. As they say about classic games like chess and poker, these stories take “minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.”
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You can join any time. You can stay as long as you want, participate in the discussions as much as you like, or you can just enjoy reading a new story every other week or so.
You can drop out for a week or two when your papers are due and return later, or read the stories you missed during the Christmas break.
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Of course! We want you to have fun with these discussions. You’ll probably have to “unlearn” the way of reading you were taught in high school. See more on How to read well – just scroll down to the middle bottom box.
