409Z Fall 2026 Literary Roundtable

This is an ongoing short story discussion class that launched in 1999 and has read stories in 41 anthologies over more than three decades. This term, the Roundtable begins a new anthology, The Best Short Stories 2025: The O.Henry Prize Winners (edited by Edward P. Jones, published by Vintage, 2025). The book is available in paperback and can be ordered online from a variety of sources. It Is also available on Kindle and audio. This O.Henry Prize volume includes stories by veteran writers, such as Clyde Edgerton, Wendell Berry, Alice Hoffman, Dave Eggers, and more recent voices such as Ling Ma, Lori Ostund, and Anthony Marra.

Yasha Haas Arant is a long-time OLLI Mason member and a participant in the Literary Roundtable for about three years. She holds a Fine Arts degree from Ohio’s Notre Dame College and retired from Lockheed Martin after 29 years. She participates in three book clubs and has a life-long love of literature. 

Pat Bangs is a long-time member of OLLI Mason. She has attended the Literary Roundtable for a decade and holds an MFA in Fiction from George Mason University. She loves the short story format.