Short Story Thursdays

I met a new friend at a bar and this friend happens to do something called Short Story Thursdays. Basically, every Thursday he e-mails a classic short story to his mailing list. He's nearing a year and 200+ members. Today's was Angel Levine by Bernard Malamud. Last week was Feathers by Raymond Carver. We just finished a serialization of Mikhail Lermontov's Hero of Our Time. Good stuff. I'm including his official explanation below as he is, understandably, more passionate about the whole endeavor and therefore does a much better job of explaining it all. If I've included you in this e-mail, you are an intelligent, scholarly type (that's only half sarcastic) and would most likely enjoy this sort of thing so send an e-mail to shutyourlazymouthandread@gmail.com to join our ranks.

Dear Readers,

Welcome to Short Story Thursdays and thank you for your interest.

Every Thursday you will receive one simple email from this address with an attachment. The word document (or pdf, for your smartphone) will contain a short story (only classics, that's it... no unknowns, no risks, no garbage) and a short bio of the author.  The final page has a list of our full reading history and membership hierarchy.

A few basic facts about Short Story Thursdays: 1. It means a great deal to me. 2. I rule it with an iron fist. 3. I will never let it die.

So there you go. Any of you interested in taking a few minutes from your lives to read some literature and not complain about it?

If you become uninterested please just email me here at shutyourlazymouthandread to be taken off the list. Trust me: I will do so immediately because when people do not read i get irate and I'd rather remove you than bother you. I actually enjoy cutting people off who can't manage to read a short story a week. That shit is sad.

But if you ARE interested then I love you and we are going to read some great literature. ALSO if you know ANYONE who might be interested (spouse brother sister coworker mother father friend) please email me any addresses you'd like me to include and i will do so!! Don't take it upon yourself to forward the weekly email along, just reply to any SST email with a new address and i will add it.

Common Question: Do we get together and discuss? Not really. This is mainly about you and a story. However, i find each selection online (which is rather difficult and limiting [hence no hemingway or anyone else heavily protected by internet copyright laws]) and i link the online version to a facebook page titled "Short Story Thursdays." If you have FB you can search for the group (it has a little picture of old book spines) and then "Like" the page. Those of you who do enjoy commenting and engaging in a discussion can utilize our FB page.

Also, for those of you in the New York area, we have established a home for SST. M. D'Abate, Director of Cultural Affairs for SST, will be hosting and serving drinks (both coffee and stronger) every Thursday beginning at 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. The location: South 4th Bar (http://www.south4thbar.com) located on South 4th and Berry in Brooklyn, a walk from the Bedford L stop or the Marcy Ave stop on the JMZ. Free copies of the current weeks story will be sitting on the bar and SST members will be sitting drunk at the bar. Again: This organization only advocates literacy. That is my main focus. Discussion has never been a mandate or even a priority. But the bar is so friendly, so affordable and always filled with great people. And now, perhaps, some of those people will have read the same shit you have. Which is nice. Either way: You are all invited this Thursday and every Thursday following.

One Single Guarantee: If you take the time, if you shut down your life long enough to give these stories a chance, I promise that every single one will have an impact on you. They will all affect you in strange and different ways and you willincreasingly enjoy that feeling. Eventually, with the start of every new story, you will begin to trust that this feeling will come. And it will. These stories will not let you down. You will never regret giving your time to them. I promise, ok?

Welcome to SST.

Enjoy the stories.

Or hate them.

Just read them.
(If you don't read them let me know so i can kick you fuck out of SST.)

SST Founder and President,

j.d.tomsky