Short, Cheap, Nearly Great Books SE Denver: June 2026

Friday, June 19, 2026

Tues, June 23, 2026 @ 7:30 PM [MT] Via Zoom

Please read The Ghost Birds by Karen Russell and join us for a discussion.

Find it on page 210 of The Best American Short Stories - 2022

Mike Levin

303 514-5463

Contact me for the Zoom link.

Our story references real birds: Chapman Elementary is a real school, and the chimney is a locally famous landmark here in Portland , Oregon — the world’s largest known roost of Vaux’s swifts .

Toward the end of this video you see the birds flying into the chimney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeEIKWIJX5U

Friday, June 5, 2026

Tues June 9, 2026 @ 7:30 PM [MT] via Zoom

Please read Beyoglu Municipality Waste Mngt Orchestra by Kenan Orhan and join us for a discussion.

Find it on page 193 of The Best American Short Stories - 2022

Contact me for the Zoom link.

Basic Guidelines for Shared Inquiry

Read the selection carefully before participating in the discussion. This ensures that all participants are equally prepared to talk about the ideas in the work.
Most of us need to read short stories more than once.
Support your ideas with evidence from the text. This keeps the discussion focused on understanding the selection and enables the group to weigh textual support for different answers.
Discuss the ideas in the selection and try to understand them fully before exploring issues that go beyond the selection. Reflecting on the ideas in the text and the evidence to support them makes the exploration of related issues more productive.
Listen to other participants and respond to them directly. Directing your comments and questions to other group members, not always to the leader, will make the discussion livelier and more dynamic.
Expect the leader to only ask questions. Effective leaders help participants develop their own ideas, with everyone gaining a new understanding in the process. Participants should look to the leader for questions, not answers.