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5 Contemporary Magical Realism Stories to Add to Your Syllabus

By Bradley Sides | author of Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood

With short fiction, there is certainly nothing wrong with the classics. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” “The Gift of the Magi.” “The Most Dangerous Game.” “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” “The Lottery.” These are wonderful stories. I think most would argue these stories are classics for a reason. They’ve proven their power. Too, they’ve been taught for many, many years, and students expect these stories. No one would want to rob a future student of experiencing one of these wonderful works for the first time.

But let’s not forget something that’s important: The world is weird. Like really, really weird. Why not still offer the classics, but also add in some spice of contemporary magical realism to embrace that weirdness?

If you are nodding along in agreement like I hope you are, here are five stories—all full of depth and magic—to consider adding to your syllabus. 

“Rocket Night” by Alexander Weinstein (from Children of the New World)

Alexander Weinstein’s “Rocket Night” is the perfect companion piece to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” I often teach them side by side. In Weinstein’s story, young students decide which fellow classmate will be sent off, via rocket, to live among the stars. In only a few pages, this story beautifully and heartbreakingly explores what it means to be on the outside. It’s also a wonderful story to discuss the individual versus the collective. Some of the best classroom discussions I’ve ever experienced have been after reading this thoughtful story.

“Ponies” by Kij Johnson (from At the Mouth of the River of Bees)

Speaking of what it means to be on the outside, Kij Johnson’s “Ponies” is another story option for discussing this topic. Here, the protagonist will do anything to be a member of the cool kids. It’s a shocking story involving unicorns that no one reading will soon forget.

“The Specialist’s Hat” by Kelly Link (from Stranger Things Happen)

Do you like including award winners on your syllabus? Kelly Link is the perfect addition. While Link has many, many stories that are worthy to be taught, the one I recommend the most is “The Specialist’s Hat.” In this story, two sisters desperately cling to their youth even if doing so might mean death.

“The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (from The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories)

If you like what you teach to have an emotional impact, “The Paper Menagerie” might be just the story for you. Liu’s wildly-acclaimed story (that was also featured on LeVar Burton Reads) reflects on a boy who rejects his cultural identity—and how his decision as a child haunted him throughout his life.

“Girl Zero” by Sequoia Nagamatsu (from Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone)

“Girl Zero” follows a nameless father who is lost in grief over the death of his daughter, who accidentally drowned in a community pool five years earlier. The father goes to extraordinary lengths to bring his daughter back. Suddenly, she appears, and she’s alive. This story involves shapeshifting, trauma, and loneliness. It’s a deep, layered story—and it’s one that offers much to consider.


Bradley’s book is Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood (Out 02/27 from Montag Press):

Bradley Sides is the author of two short story collections, Those Fantastic Lives and Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood. His writing appears in Chicago Review of BooksElectric LiteratureLos Angeles Review of BooksThe Millions, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. His fiction has been featured on LeVar Burton Reads. He holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte, where he served as Fiction Editor of Qu. Currently, he lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with his wife. On most days, he can be found teaching writing at Calhoun Community College. For more, visit bradley-sides.com.

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