Readings
Non-fiction
- Notes on Camp, by Susan Sontag, 1964
- Clowns, by Shirley Jackson, pre-1965 - warning for outdated/historical understandings of gender and culture
- Ways of Seeing, by John Berger, 1972
- The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, by Ursula Le Guin, 1986 - warning for implications of biological essentialism
- Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, 1993
- Little Red Riding Hood: The Path of Needles or the Path of Pins, by Terri Windling, 1997 - warning for discussions of sexuality and rape
- The Significance of Plot Without Conflict, by Still Eating Oranges collective, 2012
Fiction
- Paradise Lost, by John Milton, 1667 - It's the full text of Paradise Lost. Check out Gustave Dore's beautiful illustrations on archive.org here.
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, 1819 - Classic colonial American ghost story on the subject of fear and folklore. Warning for racist language/framing.
- Thumbelina, by Hans Christian Andersen, 1849 - Fairy tale. Thumbelina was born into this world a flower, and happiness does not come easily.
- The Happy Prince, by Oscar Wilde, 1888 - Short fairy tale about a Prince and a Sparrow.
- The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892 - A woman is confined to the attic of the new home she shares with her husband, "for her own good". Short psychological horror story.
- A Visit, by Shirley Jackson (read aloud by Tony Walker), 1952 - A young woman visits her friend's decadent estate for summer vacation. Short story (48 minutes) with surrealist and mystery elements.
- All Summer in a Day, by Ray Bradbury, 1954 - Sun makes a quick appearance on Venus. Short sci-fi drama story.
- Ringing the Changes, by Robert Aickman, 1955 - A poorly-planned honeymoon falls on a strange night in a strange town. Short personal drama ghost story.
- The Specialist's Hat, by Kelly Link, 1998 - Two girls move to a strange old house when their father decides to write a history of its original owner, a mostly-forgotten poet. Short ghost story with magical realism and horror elements.