Literature   

Welcome to a study of “100 Years of the Best American Short Stories” edited by Moore and Pitlor. This course provides a deep dive into some of the finest short stories ever published. Authors include Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Joyce Carol Oates, to name a few. Before each session, students will read three designated submissions from the short-story anthology and then discuss them in class. We will be covering the first 20 stories, which explore a wide variety of settings, characters and intentions — wrapped in fascinating topics. This is a highly interactive class. Be ready to speak up and engage in dialogue about all the stories so that students and teacher alike may enjoy and learn from this text and from each other. 

NOTE: A copy of “100 Years of the Best American Short Stories,” edited by Lorrie Moore and Heidi Pitlor, is required. It is available, new or used (for as low as $7). This is a new course and a new book. The same book will be used for subsequent courses through Fall 2027. 

Dystopian literature makes us look at our world in a different, and usually dark, way and asks significant philosophical questions about ecological disaster, social control and dehumanization. We will explore three different dystopian universes in novels and compare them to their expression in films. The films we will watch in class are: “On the Beach,” “Blade Runner” and “Never Let Me Go.” Students will read a new book every other week and then see the film in class. The rest of the class will be discussion with some brief comments by the instructor. No prior knowledge is expected.

NOTE: Books required: “On the Beach” by Nevil Shute; “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick; and “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Please read any edition of “On the Beach” before the second class. Books are available from Bloomsbury Books and online used bookstores.

“Prophet Song” is the 2023 Booker Prize winner by Irish novelist Paul Lynch. This gem of a novel was described as a “prophetic masterpiece” in the Washington Post. Through lyrical prose, Paul Lynch slowly reveals a horrific scenario through the experience of his protagonist Eilish, a scientist and mother of four, whose husband, a union organizer, is “disappeared” at the start of a hostile government takeover of Ireland. Described in the New York Times as coming “at a moment when the fear it addresses is daily in the news,” this novel is not an easy read, and yet it is essential. Students will read portions of the novel each week and discuss their responses to the unraveling of Eilish’s life. Students may find a glimmer of hope when introduced to the hidden mythic elements in the narrative. 

NOTE: Students are encouraged to read the entire novel before the course begins. 

Published in 1975, E.L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime” explores themes of race, class and the rise of consumer culture in the early 20th century across a wide variety of fictional and historical characters living in a world on the cusp of change. The intertwined storylines follow three families — a white upper-class family, Jewish immigrants and an African American couple with a newborn baby — as they search for belonging in a rapidly changing America. Using lectures, discussions and even music, we will examine both the times depicted in the novel and the societal factors that were at work when it was written. Fifty years have passed since “Ragtime” was published, yet its themes are still relevant: the complex drive for progress, the search for meaning and the struggle for freedom and peace.

NOTE: Participants should read the novel before the course begins. This course is part of an online share with OLLI at the University of Nevada, Reno. Please note that the last session(s) of the course extend beyond the OLLI at SOU term.

What does it mean to think on the page? The personal essay — one of literature’s most intimate and flexible forms — has been shaping minds since Montaigne confessed his way through 16th- century France. From Bacon’s crisp observations to Baldwin’s searing witness to modern editorial pages and posts on Substack, the essay has always been used by writers to figure things out in public. In this course, we’ll trace that rich tradition while immersing ourselves in “The Best American Essays 2025,” the freshest voices grappling with memory, identity, science, grief and wonder. We’ll ask what the essay does that no other form can: how it earns digression, wears research lightly and turns uncertainty into art. The course will include lectures, discussion and recommended reading.

NOTE: The course will include readings from “The Best American Essays 2025,” edited by Jia Tolentino, as well as online readings. Each class will have one required reading and two more recommended.

“This Vast Enterprise,” by Craig Fehrman, is a recently published work that examines the Lewis and Clark expedition in the light of some new discoveries with a focus on historical detail that is unprecedented. We learn a great deal about the lives and characters of many of the members of the expedition and the innumerable trials and crises they endured. We also delve into the politics of the Jeffersonian period, read of the differences among Native American tribes, and get a deeper understanding of Lewis, Clark, Sacajawea and many leaders of the tribes they met. The class will be a group discussion, and students are encouraged to bring their own questions and issues to the group.

NOTE: The required text is “This Vast Enterprise,” by Craig Fehrman, from Avid Reader Press, April 2026. It is $35 in hardcover and is available at Bloomsbury Books at a 20% discount. Audio and e-book editions are acceptable. No previous knowledge of the subject is required.

Are the Tucks blessed or cursed by eternal life? In this course we will delve into the interesting questions that have made Natalie Babbitt’s novel “Tuck Everlasting” an enduring favorite of both children and adults. First, we will get an overview of magical realism for children, then look at Babbitt’s biography and bibliography. Session 2 will be an in-depth discussion of the novel and the themes that especially resonate with adults. For Session 3, students will have an opportunity to read and report on another title by Babbitt or by another children’s fantasy author. The course will appeal most to students who enjoy informal learning and lively book discussions.

NOTE: Students are encouraged to read the entire novel before the second session.