On today’s show, Rachael and I discuss George Saunders’s discussion of seven short stories by Russian authors.

Since Saunders’s book is the result of teaching these stories in MFA craft courses over multiple decades, this book and today’s discussion simulate an important part of the MFA experience, for those who wonder what that might be like.

The stories:

1. Anton Chekhov’s “In the Cart” (1897)
2. Ivan Turgenev’s “The Singers” (1852)
3. Anton Chekhov’s “The Darling” (1899)
4. Leo Tolstoy’s “Master and Man” (1895)
5. Nikolai Gogol’s “The Nose” (1836)
6. Anton Chekhov’s “Gooseberries” (1898)
7. Leo Tolstoy’s “Alyosha The Pot” (1905)

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

The Kerouac House is re-opening its writers residency after taking a 1-year hiatus. We have also expanded the number of residencies from four to SIX per year.

If you’re interested, visit our Submittable page and send us your very best work! The submission period runs from February 1 through April 14.

I have new fiction up over at X-Ray Magazine.

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Episode 616 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature, is available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or click here to stream (right click to download, if that’s your thing).