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1. The Black Cat

   In: Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller Format(s): MP3, Text

   The text and audio of this story in Edgar Allan Poe: Storyteller describe a man who, while telling his story on the eve of his death, proclaims that he is psychologically sound despite his drunken and violent rages.

2. Being People

   Format(s): Text

   Being People is a collection of short stories and poems that draws upon the multicultural nature of American society.

3. Using Letters to Tell Stories in the EFL Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses how letter writing can be used as authentic language use. An activity for beginners involves an exchange of letters of introduction between the instructor and students. This serves a socially meaningful interactional purpose. The second activity is the construction of an story, one in which the plot is expressed in a series of letters. The writer suggests using letter exchanges for this creative writing project after using books such as The Color Purple. Letter writing is one way to enable and empower students to tell their own stories.

4. English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 3

   Format(s): Text

   The feature article focuses on Virginia, The Old Dominion, and a companion lesson plan is titled “Virginia: Jamestown and Its People.” Other articles in this issue explore literary analysis in the EFL classroom, English instruction for the tourist industry, livening up college English classes with games, using VOA Special English to improve vocabulary, and motivating students to read.

5. Just Off Main Street

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   “Just off Main Street” is for learner use and is an account of the writer’s experience as an Arab American. It opens with a description of the writer’s childhood and the cultural divide between life inside and outside the home. Readers will be drawn into the vivid description of daily life. The article looks at the challenges of being bi-cultural, of keeping home life separate, of being “exoticized,” of becoming comfortable and proud of one’s heritage, and of finding community. The article provides opportunities for discussions of culture, identity, and activism.

6. For Life's Sake

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

   In “For Life’s Sake,” author Linda Hogan provides the reader with a view of the cultural influences that have made her into the poet, essayist, and storyteller she is today. She describes how her ancestors and the beliefs she inherited as a Native American have inspired her choice of topics and shaped her writing into its unique style. Her love of trees is woven through the article. Hogan’s essay gives students a chance to understand and appreciate the life of a writer from another America. It includes her poem, “Affinity,” on the topic of horses, as well as a glossary of terms.

7. To Build a Fire and Other Stories

   Format(s): MP3, Text

   If you like stories about wilderness and survival, check out Jack London’s To Build a Fire and Other Stories. This reader is designed for intermediate-level English learners. Download it for free!

8. The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories

   Format(s): Text

   This book is a collection of stories adapted from Stephen Crane classics. Listen online or download the MP3. Or, download the MOBI or EPUB files for your e-reader.

9. The Wanderer of the North

   In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

   In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, a mysterious stranger tells a few mushers about how he followed his wife's kidnapper from his home in the Aleutian Islands to Tokyo Bay and finally to the Yukon Territory in Canada.

10. To Build a Fire

    Format(s): Text

    In this quintessential "man vs. nature" story, a traveller is grossly unaware of how cold it can get on the Yukon trail. He struggles to survive by persistent attempts to build a fire.

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