Senior Short Story Reading Group Resources

IONA Senior Services, a non-profit community organization in Washington, DC, has sponsored a weekly short story class since 1990. IONA, dedicated to enabling older people to live with independence and dignity, provides a wide range of services through professional staff, volunteers and collaboration with other organizations. The originator and leader of the short story class is volunteer Sue Whitman. Friendship Terrace Retirement Community lends its library as the regular meeting place. Class participants live both within this residence and in the surrounding neighborhood.

This page, written by Sue Whitman, describes how to organize a short story reading group for seniors.

Reading Groups for Seniors

Our enthusiasm for book groups should be extended to those who would be sure to benefit, namely the elders. Let us focus initially on the thousands now living in retirement communities, assisted living homes, or nursing homes. Retirement communities and assisted living homes usually provide busing to major cultural events as well as offering educational programs, such as lectures. What is lacking is participative learning, which offers the elders an opportunity to be actively involved in an intellectually stimulating experience. Book groups focusing on short stories can answer this need. They can be both intellectually stimulating and helpful in building friendships.

What does the discussion group mean to me, and what value does it give to me? It means widening the scope of life, as lived by others, whether American born or not.

Letting anybody utter personal opinions --  something that often leads to discussion of things quite different from the story in question -- and that also opens to horizons "out there."

Christel F. Allers

The recommendations that follow are offered as guidelines for starting and moderating a book group for seniors using the short story as the medium. These recommendations are based on 11 years of experience (every Friday morning, 10:30 to 11:30) in the library of a retirement home built originally for low income persons, but now welcoming to all, regardless of income. (The quotations are from participants.)

Short stories are easy to read

Older people often find reading full-length books too much of an effort. The TV fills up the empty hours. Reading short stories when you can discuss them later with a group is appealing and revives an interest in reading.

Short stories can be read in a week

A month is a long time in a senior community. Group meetings every week are possible with short stories, whereas reading a book may require a month.

I enjoy reading short stories again. My mother subscribed to all the women's magazines and as a youngster I started reading the yarns. Our leader brings interestingly different but well written tales and different reactions are stimulating and fun.

I think it's best when we don't agree. We get pretty well acquainted, but one is often surprised by opinions. We are intellectually shock proof. Most writers (during 20s, 30s, and 40s) started creative life using the short story form. Great discipline.

Muriel Breneman

Each participant reads the story

Assure that each participant, including those temporarily absent, have an opportunity to read the story each week.

Attendees

At least three or four attendees are needed to create good conversation. Ten or 12 make a good group. People from the neighborhood may be interested in joining. The best recruiters for the program are the participants who tell others "it's fun!".

A Senior Center might sponsor you

If you can find a senior center to sponsor your short story group the center might profit by counting your attendees as participants in their Older Americans Act programming.

I analyze each story and can relate to the parts that I have had the experience of living. My children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren think being interested in learning keeps me from getting Alzheimer's.

Frances B. Thomas 

How to choose short stories

Provide variety

Variety assures that each week's choice differs in subject matter from the week before: A story about children, a story about old people, one from the early 1900s, contemporary writer, southern writer, western writer, early émigrés, recent émigrés, early Afro-Americans, recent Afro-Americans, sophisticated life style, small town life style. Variety provides new subjects for discussion each week.

I love books, and am drawn to anyone who likes to read. I also gain great knowledge from others, who have read the same story and sees it in another light. I also like the social interaction that takes place in the group. I, like many older people, have pain. I know that on some days when the pain is bad and I don't want to go to the group, being there and sharing the story, the pain gets better or is forgotten.

I think the group helps when other ideas about a story are shared. We are told by social workers, doctors, and people who are experts on aging to stay active, keep the mind active and engaged. 

Richard E. Hawes

Libraries have many collections of short stories

Librarians have sizeable and varied collections of short stories. Short stories by a single writer are found under the writer's name in the fiction section.

And excellent information about the author

Most libraries have the many-volumed Contemporary Authors, an excellent source of information about the writer's life, writings, criticisms, and sometimes an interview with the author. If the volume you want is not available, the librarian may find something on the author on the Internet or in another source.

Story suggestions

It is difficult to choose just a few stories of various lengths that will satisfy everyone. There are so many good stories from so many authors, and readers will certainly differ in their interests. What follows is merely a suggestion, organized by page length, and including the nationality or heritage of the author.

Five pages or less:

Six to 10 pages:

Ten to 20 pages:

Finding a group leader

Write an appeal for a group leader volunteer and distribute it widely to:

• Residents themselves
• Families of residents
• Local libraries
• Local universities
• Local newspapers
• Local bookstores

The group leader must have access to a library, select the story to be copied, and lead the discussion. The leader should also provide information about the author. This greatly increases interest in the story.

Leading the discussion group

Open the session with information about the author. Then ask, "What did you think of the story?" Often that is all that is needed. The group will rarely ask you for an opinion unless the majority disliked your choice of a story. Then you may have to defend your selection. Otherwise the group will usually carry on. Some participants never miss a session but never participate in the discussion. This is more comfortable for them. So be it; they are very appreciative listeners! The good talkers usually stimulate the discussion. If the conversation should falter, read sections of the story to highlight good writing, interesting points of view, or whatever strikes you as noteworthy. Compare the group's reaction to the story with the reaction of the critics.

We're almost a family, agreeing and disagreeing on opinions, values, politics, religion, imagination, appreciation. The best things are honesty, frankness, and trust in our own and others' opinions.

Winifred Morris

Start slowly

Start the group with short stories that are five pages or less. Work up slowly to, say, 20 pages. Twenty pages may be the maximum tolerated.

Be guided by the group's interest

If the conversation wanders from the short story, and if most of the group participates in the new subject, by all means welcome their opportunity to share opinions on a subject of mutual interest. If only one or two are shifting the subject, bring the group back to focus on the story.

Accomplishments

Short story participants usually develop a friendly interest in one another, become a family with an opportunity to share interests, to sharpen their critical powers and to reinforce their sense of worthiness. Leading a group is also stimulating for the guide, who is introduced to a wide variety of life experiences and differing attitudes, as well as the pleasure of sharing in the discovery of good stories.

Reading together is a stimulating and enjoyable learning experience.

Please send comments or questions to Sue Whitman, care of IONA Senior Services. For further information on IONA, please contact:

IONA Senior Services
4125 Albemarle Street, NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 966-1055
email: info@iona.org

See our recommended Global Warming reading list: http://www.ocademy.org/warming/climate.htm