Welcome!

The American scholar Jonathan Gottschall wrote:

We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.

We all tell stories--about ourselves, our families, our cultures. Our stories may be more "true" or less so, but their truth to us is what makes them important.

I am building a collection of stories written by authors--some famous, some not so--that, through the years, have had some impact on my life (for better or for worse).

Though they are told by people from various times and various cultures, they all have something to say, not only about those times and places, but about ideas of importance to all of humanity.

I invite you to dig deeply in this trove, picking out the gems that may have some meaning for you. (In mid-July, I'll announce a slightly-more-formal way for you to participate.)

Meanwhile, feel free to browse around and see what tickles you.

Here's some help in finding things:

• The Stories: An alphabetical list of all stories posted, with brief summaries of each, along with an indication of whether they've been posted with their annotations and questions completed, or have just been posted "plain"
• Author Index: A list of all stories posted, listed alphabetically by author
• Chronological Index: A list of all stories posted, listed by year of publication
• Length Index: All the stories arranged by the average number of minutes it will take to read them silently or aloud, based on the number of words per story.

"What's New?" tells of updates to the site, and Lessons with James tells how you can also learn more about discussing these stories LIVE with me.

And please, if you have a favorite story (that's in the public domain), suggest it! (Use the comments below, or reach me in one of the ways listed at the bottom of Lessons with James.)  I'll see if I can find a way to include it in the collection.

Happy reading!