The Narrative Library offers thousands of stories, poems, and essays free of charge—we invite you to gather inspiration by getting lost in our stacks. Need a place to start? We’ve handpicked a few of our favorite pieces that center on a pivotal choice, and included a brief prompt below each title.
“Dear America,” an essay by Hugo Anaya de Jesus
• What emotions does the author provoke in the reader in this short work? How does the author achieve this?
“Bats,” an essay by Anton Disclafani
• How does the author use imagery to effectively illustrate the emotional consequences of her pivotal choice?
“Devil’s Child,” a story by Farnaz Fassihi
• What choices have you made for the well-being of others? Did you sacrifice your own well-being?
“Underaged,” a story by Avianca Jackson
• Listen to the song mentioned in the story. How does it contribute to the story’s meaning?
“Nicky Nicky Nine Doors,” a story by Alex Jaros
• How does the story’s setting inform (or even inspire) the narrator’s choice?
“The Second-Worst Rug My Father’s Ever Seen,” an essay by Spencer Wise
• When was a time that you disappointed someone that you loved? What were the consequences?
“Villa Palms,” a story by Jenny Xie
• What details connect the choices made by the story’s mother and daughter?
General Reading List
The Narrative Library doesn’t stop there! Great reading—no matter the subject matter—inspires great writing. So dive into the below essays, stories, and poems too. You never know when you’ll read something that sticks.
Essays
“Snapshots of My Brother” by Lynn Ahrens
“Whale Shark” by Rick Bass
“Catching Out” by Charles D’Ambrosio
“Sparrow” by Maria Hummel
“When You Can No Longer Talk about It, You Have to Sing” by Irene Keliher
“Real People” by Jayne Anne Phillips
“Blue Lake” by Laura Rose
“At Lee” by Jack Schiff
“Mysteries of Love and Grief” by Sandra Scofield
Fiction
“Hands” by Sherwood Anderson
“The Woman in the Rose-Colored Dress” by Gina Berriault
“Araby” by James Joyce
“The Treatment of Bibi Halder” by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Red Dress–1946” by Alice Munro
“The Man Arguing in the Kitchen” by Gina Ochsner
“Friday Night Fish Fry” by Austin Smith
“In the Water” by Brenden Willey
Poetry
“Los Angeles” by Chris Abani
“How to Be a Real Indian” by Kenzie Allen
“How to Live in an American Town” by Jennifer Chang
“night vision” and “it was a dream” by Lucille Clifton
“somewhere I have never travelled,gladly beyond” by E. E. Cummings
“Slow Dance” by Matthew Dickman
“Weak Winter Sun” by Jim Harrison
“English” by Yusef Komunyakaa
“To the New Year” by W. S. Merwin
“A Small Motor” by Alberto Álvaro Ríos
“What We Have” by Ruth Stone
“Trojan” by Ocean Vuong
“Put This Book Down” by Javier Zamora
“Poem for Americans” by Matthew Zapruder
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