Authors And Readers

It became obvious to the Minister of Culture that everyone wanted to be a writer, and no one wanted to be a reader. When the Minister of Culture collected statistics, she noticed that most of the stories published by reputable publications remained unread. With the support of Parliament, the MOC instituted a new rule: for every story published on the internet, the writer was obliged to read ten stories by other authors and write a summary and critique of each story. This practice led to a number of happy authors and readers, who turned out to be the same people.

From Guest Contributor Anita G. Gorman

Than Anything Else

I asked him about the authors that influenced him.

He shrugged the question away.

"I'm more embarrassed by the story than anything else. Let it die."

"Than anything else," I thought. And again "Let it die." What was that anything else?

He was at the wood stove again, apparently indicating that was it, the interview was over.

"Walkside, strophanthin, and the adult bookstore," I said, trying to be delicate. "I'm not saying you didn't make things up, but..."

He spun quickly, poker in his hand. The dogs' heads jerked up.

"What do you want from me?"

The interview was over.

From Guest Contributor Rick Henry