November’s Stories and Poems

This month, we are turning our focus to a major part of The Reader’s in Criminal Justice settings. For 15 years, the Criminal Justice team have been working tirelessly and in testing circumstances to bring literature behind bars through Shared Reading. Over these many years, hundreds of stories, extracts and poems have been read and shared with readers in criminal justice settings – far too many for us to feature, but we have chosen a select few, alongside powerful and moving reflections from group members, such as the following:

“I like that! ‘We are marvellous’… when you’re sitting alone at night, that’s a good thing to remember, isn’t it?”

We have also chosen to feature literature by authors from the Native Nations in this month’s pack, ahead of our next Shared Reading Masterclass for Reader Leaders, taking place towards the end of the month, which will highlight poetry from the Native Nations.

Selected from the Reader Bookshelf this month are the story The Veldt from the collection The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, and a poem from She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo.

Perhaps one question that unites several of the stories in November’s selection is: what can we do when life doesn’t turn out the way we thought or hoped that it might? From the wonders – and drawbacks – of modern technology, to feeling isolated in a world that seems to prize consumption and fleeting connections, to misconceptions we might have about people whose lives appear vastly different from our own and forging unlikely friendships, there is lots to dig into with this month’s stories and extracts.

November’s stories and extracts are:

The Veldt by Ray Bradbury – from The Illustrated Man

Mr Jolly by Michael Stewart

Witch Hazel (extract from Braiding Sweetgrass) by Robin Wall Kimmerer

My Uncle Jules by Guy de Maupassant

Permanent Granite Sunrise by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Both the old and new are celebrated in this month’s poetry choices, leading us to wonder how we might go about reconciling things that have been lost or forgotten – in some cases, temporarily so – with the prospect of preparing ourselves for the unknown. These poems might be seen to say something very particular about life, and especially, how each of us may find the courage and resilience to keep on moving forward through it.

Remember by Joy Harjo – from She Had Some Horses

Ocean Power by Ofelia Zepeda

Hurricane by Mary Oliver

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

Wonder Woman by Ada Limón

If you're a Reader Leader head to the Online Community Hub to download this month's selection.