September’s Monthly Stories and Poems

September’s pick of Monthly Stories and Poems are connected by the theme mixed-up feelings and encounters, reminding us that very rarely in life are things black and white, or one feeling entirely. A situation can start off being exciting or joyful and then shift into something precarious; similarly, a time of uncertainty and trepidation can include its freer, more balanced moments. Life contains multitudes, as do the individuals who experience it, and such a myriad of different emotions allows us the opportunity and space to wonder.

It is with Wonder that we continue to look to the Reader Bookshelf. This month, we feature stories and extracts from A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin, Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski, Foster by Claire Keegan, The Tempest by William Shakespeare, and poems taken from A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology, edited by Czeslaw Milosz, and Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book, edited by Ana Sampson.

This month’s selection of stories and extracts combine wonder, the joy of new discovery and experience, and even a supernatural element of magic, with moments of crisis, difficult feelings and a necessity to stay grounded in reality. How can it be possible to exist in two very different states of being at the same time? These selections also explore the complicated feelings that come from being misunderstood by others, and the very human need to belong and connect, even when such connections are not easy to come by.

September’s stories and extracts are:

Sunday (extract from Little Boy Lost) by Marghanita Laski

Standing on the crest (extract from Foster) by Claire Keegan

Trials of thy love (extract from The Tempest) by William Shakespeare

Odd One Out (extract from Born on a Blue Day: A Memoir of Asperger’s and an Extraordinary Mind) by Daniel Tamnet

Stars and Saints by Lucia Berlin – from A Manual for Cleaning Women

We know with Shared Reading that reading a poem more than once can open up different pathways, and our feelings may have completely reversed the more we read. It’s down to the wonder of poetry that we can choose to hold a variety of mixed-up feelings at once, and September’s poetry choices in particular showcase how there are many distinct perspectives to be gained by simply looking, wondering and allowing ourselves to accept and to exist in many multitudes.

The Washing by Jaan Kaplinski (translated by Jaan Kaplinski, Sam Hamill and Riina Tamm)

Grief by Matthew Dickman

Encounter by Czeslaw Milosz (translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Lillian Vallee)

Seen From Above by Wislawa Szymborska (translated by Magnus J. Krynski and Robert A. Maguire) – from A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology

Heredity by Thomas Hardy – from Wonder: The National History Museum Poetry Book

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