SFW short story rec's

May 19, 2006 6:07 AM

I need recommendations for short stories suitable for discussion at a work-sponsored short story club.

Preferably contemporary, on the short side of short, and the clincher - full text available online. Definitely needs to be SFW. Also, discussion time will be limited to approximatley one hour.

posted by ferociouskitty to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

I'm going to make a blatant self-link here, and be completely open about it so nobody can accuse me of dishonesty: MicroHorror.com is my site, it belongs to me, and I wrote most of the stories on it. That said, I'd like to humbly suggest it as a resource for discussable short-short fiction, freely available online. Of course, if your people aren't into horror, then it won't do you much good.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:55 AM on May 19, 2006

Sea Oak by George Saunders

Also, just read whatever is free from the New Yorker this week.
posted by rabbitsnake at 7:02 AM on May 19, 2006

The Moonlit Road: Ghost stories and folktales of the American South, told by the region's most celebrated storytellers. I read these stories to my kids over the phone sometimes.

I'll check out the MicroHorror site too.
posted by rinkjustice at 7:05 AM on May 19, 2006

Project Gutenberg would seem a solid choice, through the contemporary thing is obviously discarded.

Anton Chekhov - Ward #6
Ambrose Bierce - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Jack London - To Build A Fire

Conventional stuff, I admit, but that's probably what a work-sponsored short story club needs. For the Chekhov and London, I've linked to collections, you'll have to pull the specific story I've recommended out.
posted by boombot at 9:43 AM on May 19, 2006

BEOWOLF!
posted by I_am_jesus at 10:26 AM on May 19, 2006

Just to refresh people's memory, the poster said "on the short side of short." "Ward No. 6" is almost fifty pages long, and Beowulf is not only long, it's an epic poem rather than a short story. This really isn't "what are some of your favorite things to read."

That said, Chekhov is an excellent choice, and there are 201 stories, most quite short, here.
posted by languagehat at 12:56 PM on May 19, 2006

Nine Stories by JD Salinger is an obvious choice but very good.
Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury have both written loads of fantastic short stories.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 2:03 PM on May 19, 2006

and the clincher - full text available online.
Sorry, missed that part. If you look around you might be able to find some.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 2:08 PM on May 19, 2006

Three of Borges' short stories are available here. Alll short-short but packed.

And here's a short-short Raymond Carver
posted by vacapinta at 2:10 PM on May 19, 2006

George Saunders is a fantastic writer, but Sea Oak is definitely NSFW.
posted by allterrainbrain at 4:22 PM on May 19, 2006

Shirley Jackson's The Lottery? Depends on your definition of SFW.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 4:41 AM on May 20, 2006