The Short Story Book Club
Do you enjoy reading short stories? So do I! But it seems like so few book clubs cater to this type of storytelling.
I’m about to change that trend now!
Welcome to my Short Story Book Club. No fancy name needed. Let’s just call it what it is!
This is a book club for:
- Fans of the short story format
- Avid readers
- Short story writers seeking inspiration
- Book club aficionados looking for a smaller time commitment every month
- People seeking out a community of like-minded individuals
If you don’t fit into any of these categories but you’re intrigued by the concept, come join us!
Join the Book Club
Come join me and the rest of the members every month as we discuss short stories new and old!
What to Expect
Here’s what I have planned:
When We'll Meet
This book club will meet monthly. I’ll host a number of meetings to ensure there’s a time that works for most people’s schedules, but we’ll cover the same stories all month long.
If you can’t find one that works for you, please send me a message and let me know. If there’s enough demand for another time slot, I’ll open it up.
Where We'll Meet
I’m a digital nomad and my location changes every few months. Because of this, we’ll be holding these book club meetings online.
If there are enough members near where I’m living at any given time, I’ll look into hosting pop-up book club meetings. Stay tuned!
Monthly Reading Commitment
As far as what we’ll be reading, here’s my thought process:
There are loads of amazing short stories out there. And it’s pretty easy to bang them out in a single reading session.
So, at each month’s meeting, we’ll discuss anywhere between one and three short stories. Novella-length stories will get their own meetings. And if we ever decide to cover a whole short story collection, it will get its own meeting as well.
Not only will this give us some variety in terms of what we read, it’ll also allow you guys to participate even if you didn’t read every assigned story.
What We'll Read
I’d like to mix things up. Of course, there are classics like The Lottery and The Tell-Tale Heart that I’d love to discuss. But I’d also like to read stories from authors that are less well-known.
I also want to be mindful of how easy it is to source each story. In addition to reading older classics that are available online, I’ll see what different literary journals have available.
As the short story writing club gets underway, my plan is to also include stories written by members.
What We'll Discuss
Even if the story format isn’t the typical one for a book club, the discussions (probably) will be. We’ll talk about things like:
- Themes
- Characters
- Plot points
- Quotes
- Likes and dislikes
- The author
- And so on
We’ll let the story drive the discussion.
Join the Short Story Book Club
Now that I’ve got the negative stuff out of the way, let’s end this on a positive note!
Short stories may be small, but they can pack just as powerful of a punch as novels. If you’re a lover of short stories or interested in exploring what they’re all about, please join us!
For the time being, the book club is free. However, starting in early 2027, there will be a small fee associated with membership.