Course Description

Instructors: Jill Parks, Bert Parks and Molly Holcombe

Step into a century of storytelling with "New Yorker Short Stories, Celebrating a Century of Storytelling," a four-week reading and discussion series exploring some of the most iconic short stories ever published in The New Yorker magazine. Since its founding in 1925, The New Yorker has been a home for literary legends and emerging voices alike, shaping modern fiction one unforgettable story at a time.

In this class, we will delve into a curated selection of short stories that span decades and styles—offering humor, heartbreak, satire, and insight into the human condition. Our readings will include beloved classics like James Thurber’s whimsical The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Shirley Jackson’s chilling masterpiece The Lottery, J.D. Salinger’s haunting A Perfect Day for Bananafish, and Jhumpa Lahiri’s poignant The Third and Final Continent, among others.

Each session will focus on  two stories, featuring guided discussions about themes, characters, historical context, and literary style. Whether you’re a longtime reader or just discovering these works for the first time, this course invites you to reflect on the evolution of American fiction and the enduring power of the short story

Come celebrate 100 years of imagination, surprise, and storytelling. We hope you’ll join us!
A New Yorker themed party will be held at the home of the instructors at the end of the series.

Bio: Jill Fein Parks was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She holds a BA degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and did graduate work in education at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. She taught in the public schools for several years in Rhode Island, Arizona, and Florida. She left teaching to become the first female switchman for the Southern Pacific Railroad in Salt Lake City in the early 1990's.

Ms. Parks became politically active while at the University of California, Berkeley, protesting the war in Vietnam. After moving to Rhode Island in the early 1970's, she became a leader of the Pro-Choice Movement giving speeches around the state, debating, and publishing articles. Due to her involvement in Pro Choice activities, she was followed by the FBI for months. She received her FBI file of over 100 pages from the Freedom of Information Act. She helped organize marches in Washington DC and around the country for the Equal Rights Amendment and for the Right to Choose.

In 1986, Ms. Parks ran as a socialist candidate for US Senate in Washington.

In 2015, Ms. Parks participated on a visual arts tour of Cuba with The University of New Mexico Latin American & Iberian Institute and Tamarind Institute. She shared her experiences at a Lunch and Learn at OLLI.

She has taught several classes at OLLI since her retirement in 2012 from Kaiser Permanente as HR Manager. She is also a co-leader of an OLLI Book Club.

Bert Parks has lived in Atlanta most of his life. He participated in the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta in the 1960's and 70's, working closely with Howard Zinn. He received his MA from Georgia State University. He did his PhD dissertation at NYU on Saul Bellow. He has taught literature, film, and screen writing at Georgia State, NYU and Morehouse. He sold an original screen play to the actor Stuart Whitman, a Deliverance type adventure film taking place in South Georgia. He also owned Atlanta Trailer City, with 1000 tenants, for 18 years. He has taught over 30 different classes at OLLI at Emory since 2007.