Short stories, in the hands of a master, can be revelatory and joyful, piercing and mysterious. The concentrated power of a great short story is incomparable, serving as inspiration for iconic movies ranging from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Brokeback Mountain. Join us to hear two masters of the form talk about the challenging craft of making a literary impact in a handful of pages.

Free event

Kelly Link is the author of six collections, including Magic for Beginners and Get in Trouble, and a recipient of a “Genius Grant” from the MacArthur Fellowship. She has won the Hugo Award and three Nebula Awards. With her husband, Gavin Grant, she runs Small Beer Press, in Northampton, Mass., and Book Moon, an independent bookstore in Easthampton, Mass. Kelly is Elizabeth Drew Professor of English Language and Literature at Smith College. Her first novel, The Book of Love, was published in 2024.

Ben Shattuck is the author of the collection The History of Sound and wrote the screenplay for the 2025 movie based on the title story. Publishers Weekly described The History of Sound as a “magnificent collection about love, longing, and New England history” whose “exquisite stories capture the spirit of the Northeast.” With his brother, Ben owns Davoll's General Store, founded in 1793 and the oldest operating general store in Massachusetts.