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Five Book Club Ideas for Short Story Month

Following closely on the heels of National Poetry Month, Short Story Month is often forgotten in May. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen this year. Short stories are perfect for reading as you brush your teeth, pumping gas, bake cookies, or upload documents. They fill the in-between spaces in your day and transport you elsewhere for a few delightful minutes. Short stories can be found in so many different formats and we’re exploring a few of those in our book club ideas below!

1. Read a short story on receipt paper.

We may not be able to travel which means the Short Story Dispenser at the Edmonton International Airport is out of reach, but why not read some of the stories that you could find in this nifty little machine? May we recommend a few by Edmonton writers?

    1. Superhero of the Supermarket by William Thompson
    2. The Hate Sponge by Paul Blinov 
    3. Seeking Memphis by Ann Sutherland 
    4. The Capital by Michael Hingston

2. Read Projections edited by Rebecca Romney.

It’s not December, so we’ll refrain from recommending the Short Story Advent Calendar (although this would be a perfect month to revisit it). Instead, we think you should crack open Rebecca Romney’s Projections–another expertly packaged book-in-a-box from the inimitable Hingston and Olsen. This is a collection of sci-fi stories that in some way predicted life in the present day. 

Blue stapled booklets in a box

3. Read Ian Williams’s Not Anyone’s Anything.

This book is a trio of trios: three sets of three stories, with three of those stories further divided into thirds. Mathematical, musical, and meticulously crafted, these stories play profoundly with form, and feature embedded flash cards and musical notations, literal basements, and dual narratives, semi-detached.

Not Anyone's Anything

Ian Williams (CA)

Published: Apr 01, 2011 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781551119953

4. Buy some beer.

No, really. Blindman Brewing’s Super Stout or Super Session Ale features short stories (and other poems and lyrics) from local writers.

Beer can with a short story printed on the label.

5. Read a super story from Tyche Books’ Masked Mosaic!

In these twenty-four tales, Canada’s most daring writers reimagine the super genre from its outer limits to its pulp origins, exploring the diverse landscape of Canadian identity and geography.

Cover of Masked Mosaic