A Literary Cornucopia

Dumbfounded, I came to realize my situation. I had been warned when I was young, but never did I think this could happen to me. I had listened to the stories from those who survived and remembered the sage advice. “Keep your light going and pray they set you free.” ( " A Summertime Short Story)" Summer’s more than just sunshine — it’s the stories, memories, and moments that stay with us...

Marriage has always been about more than two people falling in love. Historically, it brought families together, strengthened communities, and ensured the continuation of society. In this episode, we'll explore some of those traditions and discover the meaning behind customs that many of us take for granted. Behind every wedding there is always a story. Check out the podcast blog at https://al...

Thinking about our fathers often brings a mix of emotions — admiration, gratitude, discipline, and sometimes, a little mischief. Memories of childhood adventures or lessons learned can shape how we see the world and the men who raised us. This episode is a reflection of a childhood memory, https://aliterarycornucopia.wordpress.com/home/blog-posts/

The Jordans never spoke of the exam, not until their son, Dickie, was twelve years old. It was on his birthday that Mrs. Jordan first mentioned the subject in his presence, and the anxious manner of her speech caused her husband to answer sharply.‘Forget about it,’ he said. ‘He’ll do all right.’ In a world where intelligence is feared, a simple test could mean life or death. This episode delves in...

"Behind every woman is another strong woman." ~~ Tina Neidlein When the month of May rolls around most of us think of our mother’s. Right? We begin to  reflect on times we spent with her. Both the good and the bad.  If she’s no longer around, we might feel a bit nostalgic, maybe regretting that we didn’t spend more time with her.  In this month we also celebrate a special aunt, an older...

Poetry might just be the most powerful tool we have for healing ✨ Have you ever turned to a poem during a tough moment? In this episode, I share stories of how poetry crosses borders — languages, ages, and experiences — offering a quiet strength and reflection when words are hard to find. It’s more than just art; it’s a way to process grief, celebrate life, and find clarity in chaos. Ever felt th...

Poetry is a form of literary art that uses language, rhythm, and vivid imagery to evoke emotions, ideas, and aesthetic experiences. Distinct from prose, it often features a condensed, musical structure with techniques like rhyme, meter, and metaphor to make the invisible visible, ranging from traditional sonnets to free verse. Poetry has a way of saying so much with so little. A few lines can hold...

Kate Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour," first published in 1894, is a brief but powerful story often studied through a feminist lens. It follows Louise Mallard, a woman with a weak heart, who is carefully told that her husband, Brently Mallard, has died in a train accident. At first Louise reacts with grief. But when she sits alone by an open window, she begins to notice signs of life outs...

He deliberately held out his wrist for the bird to take flight, and caught it again at the moment it spread its wings. He felt the plump shape strive and strain under his fingers; and, in a sudden access of troubled spite, shut the bird into a small box and fastened the bolt.  'Now you stay there,' he muttered; and turned his back on the shelf of birds. He moved warily along the hedge, sta...

“Grandma, are you a witch?” I said.“ Of course,” she said. “I thought you knew.” “Do you know how to cast spells and make potions?” “Depends,” she said. “What’s on your mind? Is it a love potion you need? Tell me all about it, Amy.” Real-world love remedies—from herbs to exotic foods—show us that obsession and desire have always fueled human fascination. Amy, a teenager who wants a boy to ask her...

"I would look up at the ceiling every time he came near me. I searched in the white color for the peace and tranquility I needed to make the most important decision of my life. " Micro fiction and flash fiction rely on implication and concise language to deliver maximum impact. Micro fiction is often poetic, punchy, and reliant on strong imagery. This special episode includes a micro fiction piece...

"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at all."  The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on. "I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."  The girl did not say anything.  You’ve heard the expression “the white elephant in the room.” Heming...

Toni Morrison's impact on literature is profound. She is celebrated for her examination of Black American experiences, particularly those of Black women, within their communities. Morrison's writing style is known for its poetic and luminous prose, and she is considered one of the greatest contemporary American novelists. With The New Yorker article "The Work You Do, The Person You Ar...

"Once upon a time there was a miller who had a beautiful daughter. When she came of age he wished that she was provided for and well married. He thought, "If a respectable suitor comes and asks for her hand in marriage, I will give her to him." Not long afterward a suitor came who appeared to be very rich, and because the miller could find no fault with him, he promised his daughter to him. The gi...

When we think of J.R.R. Tolkien, we usually think big: quests, wars, and vast imaginary landscapes. But one of the most revealing windows into his creative life comes from something much smaller—his Christmas letters to his children. For more than twenty years, Tolkien wrote as Father Christmas, describing life at the North Pole in words and pictures. These letters were playful, sometimes chaotic,...

She carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle of them in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had given her a single farthing. She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing! What makes The Little Match Girl so striking is its simplicity. A young girl wanders the snowy streets on New Y...

James Baldwins' story "Why He Carried The Turkey" is taken from Fifty Famous People - A Book of Short Stories , 1912. "Well, that is lucky," said the old man, smiling. "I happen to be going that way, and I will carry your turkey, if you will allow me." "That is John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States. He is one of the greatest men in our country,&qu...

She descended into the basement, hunting for the wine her uncle had hidden there. A vintage from 1847. November, no less. Her birthday month. A coincidence? A grand reserve, priceless beyond imagination. The stairs looked ready to betray her. Narrow. Uneven. Crumbling. Why, why had she worn heels today? Each step felt like a gamble. The railing, thin and wobbly, seemed more dangerous than helpful....

"It was not too long ago that he felt free as a bird. He always had the choice of doing whatever he wanted to do or wherever he wanted to go. No one could stop him, until that one day. He couldn’t stop thinking of the day he met Angela. The first time he laid eyes on her, he thought he was seeing an angel in the flesh. Was it a coincidence that her name was Angela?" As a fan of mysteries I enjoy w...

“A big old ugly witch and I told her to go away and she went away,” the little boy went on, in a quiet narrative to himself, “she came and said, ‘I’m going to eat you up,’ and I said, ‘no, you’re not,’ and I chased her away, the bad old mean witch.” Although very short (just over 1,400 words), there are enough dark elements in this Shirley Jackson story to unsettle most readers. Themes in this sto...

"It's Miss Fairchild," he said, with a smile. "I'll ask you to excuse the other hand; "it's otherwise engaged just at present." He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining "bracelet" to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl's eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague, relaxing distress. "Hearts...

"It became obvious that this was special occasion and that she had planned a surprise." "Birthday party" is a brief, observational story about a married couple in a restaurant where the wife attempts a public birthday surprise for her husband. Katharine Brush's short stories have been compared, in their lack of sentiment and their sharpness, with those of F. Scott Fitzgerald, her  more famous cont...

"I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her eighty rubles. She murmured her little "merci" several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: "How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!" ("A Nincompoop)" Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and master of the modern short story, known for his laconic precision in probing the hidden motiv...

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) was an influential 20th-century poet and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950. Her short story "Home," later incorporated into her novel Maud Martha , centers around a family's anxiety and eventual relief as they await the outcome of a bank loan application.

With the third week of kindergarten Charles was an institution in our family; the baby was being a Charles when she cried all afternoon; Laurie did a Charles when he filled his wagon full of mud and pulled it through the kitchen; even my husband, when he caught his elbow in the telephone cord and pulled the telephone and a bowl of flowers off the table, said, after the first minute, “Looks like Ch...