About us
Book clubs are great, but people are busy! If you enjoy reading and discussing short fiction, please join me every second Thursday evening to discuss one (or both) of the New Yorker's most recent short stories. Note: if you don't have to have a subscription to the New Yorker, you can listen here, for free. We'll meet for two hours on alternating Thursday evenings, from 7 pm to 9 pm, at the National Arts Centre (for now).
Who this group is for:
People who enjoy reading and discussing short fiction through close attention to the text itself—language, structure, narration, characterization, and scenes.
Who this group is not for:
People looking for polemical, political, moral, or ideological debate. It’s absolutely fine to dislike a story, but criticism must be grounded in the text. This is a literature discussion group, not a debate society or a forum for broader arguments.
Additional info:
This is a brand-new group, so I'll post the first meeting in early March 2026. Stay tuned!
And if you’re new to reading and/or discussing short fiction and feel a bit intimidated, please don’t let that deter you—everyone is welcome. I’m happy to share a short list of questions you can use with any story to help spark discussion. And if you have questions or want to chat beforehand, feel free to message me (Colin).
Upcoming events
1
Inagural Reading and Discussion Meetup
National Arts Centre / Centre national des Arts, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5W1, Ottawa, ON, CAWe'll discuss the New Yorker stories from March 2, 2026, and March 9, 2026. (I'll update the titles with links, once available.) Please read one or both of the stories and come prepared with some basic discussion points:
- What you liked, and why
- What you didn't like, and why
- Any story-relevant thoughts
- Whether you've read any stories from the author before
- Etc. (I’m also happy to share a brief set of guiding questions you can use with any story to help generate discussion points.)
We'll meet at the NAC, next to the wooden seat-stairs. From there, we'll find a table. (Or, optionally, go to the NAC restaurant: https://nac-cna.ca/en/1elgin).
Parking tip: $2 flat rate at City Hall.
Story #1:
Calm Sea and Hard Faring — Yiyun Li — March 1, 2026
Story: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/09/calm-sea-and-hard-faring-fiction-yiyun-li
Podcast (The Writer’s Voice): https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-writers-voiceStory #2: TBA
Any questions or comments, feel free to reach out!
7 attendees
