Program Details

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The Great American Short Story Club

Instructor
Caren Neile
SUM361

Course Description

What could be better than a book club with an intimate gathering of thoughtful, intelligent people enjoying light refreshments? A short story club with an intimate gathering of thoughtful, intelligent people enjoying light refreshments! Here’s how it works: Each week, you will receive a hard copy or email of a very readable classic story by a great American writer. You will also receive some questions to consider while you read. Then, when we’re all together in a comfortable space, we will have an opportunity to participate in a lively discussion about the style, characters, setting, and what the story reveals about American culture. Class size is limited, so please register early!

Lectures

  1. Crime: Edgar Allen Poe's The Purloined Letter
  2. Marriage: Edith Wharton's The Mission of Jane
  3. Money: F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited
  4. Men: Ernest Hemingway's The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
  5. Women: Dorothy Parker's Big Blonde
  6. Immigration: Isaac Bashevis Singer's Gimpel the Fool 

Course Info

  • Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Date: Wednesdays, August 11, 18, 25; September 1, 22, 29
  • Location: Friedberg Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Building
  • Fees: Member - $150
    Non-member - $195
    One-time guest pass, Member or Non-member at the door - $35.

About the Instructor

  • Caren Schnur Neile, Ph.D., MFA, has taught storytelling studies, memoir and other writing, and public speaking at FAU and other institutions worldwide for over two decades. Her numerous publications include the books "Peninnah's World: A Jewish Life in Stories," "Florida Lore," and an entry in "The Oxford Handbook of American Folklore." Dr. Neile has ghostwritten and edited memoirs and other works for numerous clients and has performed in 7 countries and 13 states. She was a founding editor of the international academic journal "Storytelling, Self, Society," and is past chair of the National Storytelling Network. Dr. Neile appears weekly on the public radio WLRN radio and podcast segment "The Public Storyteller" and contributes a monthly column to the Sun-Sentinel.