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Great Short Stories

A reading & discussion group

Great conversation about great short fiction!

The Great Short Stories (GSS) reading and discussion group is currently using "Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen: 35 Great Stories That Have Inspired Great Films." Click here to reserve a copy.

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Below, the stories (and books) for each meeting are listed. GSS meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30pm in the Community Meeting Room AND online via Zoom. If you'd prefer to attend online, register your email to receive a Zoom meeting link closer to the event.  The Zoom meeting will open at 6:20pm.  If no one has joined the Zoom by 6:45, the meeting will be closed at that time to avoid distraction during the meeting.

January 13 - "The Swimmer" by John Cheever, page 401 in "Adaptations," adapted to The Swimmer, directed by Frank Perry in 1968. The film adaptation is available streaming free and for rent on various online services. Bill is leading.  A screening of the film will be held the weekend before, on Sunday, January 12 at 3pm, click here to register.

February 10 - "Before Tonde, After Tonde" by Petina Gappah, page 115 in "One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories."  Holley is leading.

March 10 - "Jerry and Molly and Sam" by Raymond Carver, page 15 in "Adaptations," adapted to Short Cuts, directed by Robert Altman in 1993. The film adaptation is available on dvd in the JCLC. Mary is leading.

April 14 - "Blow-Up" by Julio Cortazar, page 26 in "Adaptations," adapted to Blow-Up, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni in 1966. The film adaptation is available on bluray and dvd in the JCLC and streaming free and for rent on various online services. Bill is leading. A screening of the film will be held at the library the weekend before on Saturday, April 12 at 3pm, click here to register.

May 12 - "Minority Report" by Philip K. Kick, page 119 in "Adaptations," adapted to Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg in 2002.  The film adaptation is available on dvd in the JCLC, streams free on Pluto TV with ads, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, and is available for Paramount+ subscribers. Samuel is leading. A screening of the film will be held at the library the weekend before on Saturday, May 10th at 3pm, more information here.

June 9 - "The Albino" by Adetonkunbo Gbenga Abiola, page 143 in "One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories." Holley is leading.

July 14 - "My Friend Flicka" by Mary O'Hara, page 495 in "Adaptations," adapted to My Friend Flicka directed by Harold Schuster in 1943. The film adaptation is unrated and is available on dvd at 3 libraries around the county, and for rental on Amazon Prime Video. Carol is leading. 

August 11 - "A Reputation" by Richard Edward Connell, page 296 in "Adaptations," adapted to Meet John Doe directed by Frank Capra in 1941. The film adaptation is unrated and is available on dvd at 3 libraries around the county and is free to stream with a valid library card on Hoopla and Kanopy.  It also streams free with a valid account on Roku, Tubi, and Plex, and may be available to rent on some premium subscription services. Bob is leading.

September 8 - "Homeless" by Ovo Adagha, page 169 in "One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories." This is the final story remaining in this text and Holley is leading.

October 13 - "Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney, page 331 in "Adaptations," adapted to The Wild One directed by Laslo Benedek in 1954.  The film adaptation is unrated and is available on dvd at 1 library in the county and streams free with a valid account on Tubi. It may be available to rent on some premium subscription services.  Sandra is leading.

November 10 - "Emergency" by Denis Johnson, page 585 in "Adaptations," adapted to Jesus' Son directed by Alison Maclean in 1999, Rated R.  While there is no physical media available in the county, it is free to stream with a valid library card on Hoopla and Kanopy.  It may be available to rent on some premium subscription services. Ron is leading.

December 8 - Special guest! UAB film scholar Gareth Jones will lead this meeting! "Herbert West-Reanimator: Six Shots by Moonlight" by H.P. Lovecraft, page 204 in "Adaptations," adapted to Re-Animator directed by Stuart Gordon in 1985. The film adaptation is unrated and is available on dvd at 1 library in the county.  As of June 2025, the entire film is available on Youtube and may be available to rent on some premium subscription services. Samuel is leading.

January 12, 2026 - "The Harvey Pekar Name Story" by Harvey Pekar, page 261 in "Adapations," adapted to American Splendor directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini in 2003. The film adaptation is Rated R and is available on dvd at 5 libraries around the county. As of June 2025, the film is streaming on HBO Max and available to rent on other premium subscription services. This is the final story remaining in this text and Holley is leading.

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