Author Archive

Quiet Resistance in Yiyun Li’s “A Flawless Silence”

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In Yiyun Li’s short story “A Flawless Silence” from The New Yorker, the main character Min is in a relationship where she does not feel completely safe standing up to her husband. But, as the reader sees, Min often uses silence to her advantage.

What’s Left Unsaid in Angela Flournoy’s “The Miss April Houses”

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Sometimes silence is more powerful than words, and Flournoy uses this device deliberately throughout her story "The Miss April Houses."

The Classism of Dental Work in Erin McGraw’s Short Story “Teeth”

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There are many ways in which teeth can also set people apart. In the short story “Teeth” from the January/February issue of Kenyon Review Online, Erin McGraw explores classism and the power of wealth through the symbol of teeth.

Inherited Gender Roles in “The Makeover” by Janelle Greco

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In “The Makeover”, a piece of flash fiction published by Hobart, Janelle Greco captures the lives of three generations, exploring the way familial gender roles are passed on.

The Best Short Story I Read This Month: “The Cock in Cadwalader Heights” by Ariel Delgado Dixon

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In the short story “The Cock in the Cadwalader Heights” from the Masters Review, Ariel Delgado Dixon uses subtle details throughout the narrative to show how eleven-year-old Madín is starting to view the world differently.

The Best Short Story I Read This Month: “The Kindest” by Sonya Larson

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Returning from the brink of death with a new lease on life: it’s a common trope in fiction and nonfiction alike. These stories are easy for the reader to believe, as one hopes that coming so close to the dark unknown would carry with it some sort of positive

The Best Short Story I Read This Month: “Missing Things” by Edwin Madu

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Every word carries with it a connotative meaning, a definition that stretches beyond what can be found in the dictionary. Edwin Madu uses this notion to his advantage in his short story “Missing Things” published by Okey-Panky in July of this year.

The Best Short Story I Read This Month: “Take Your Child To Work Report” by Maya Beck

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By formatting her short story “Take Your Child To Work Day Report” like an actual report, Maya Beck examines power dynamics in the classroom and society as a whole.