"Oh dear, no," said the old man. "It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love potion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise they would not need a love potion."

John Collier (1901-1980) was a British-born author and screenwriter, primarily known for his darkly humorous and often macabre short stories. "The Chaser" remains a popular example of Collier's talent for crafting concise, impactful stories with a dark edge and a memorable twist.

Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, logician, and social reformer, known as a founder of analytic philosophy and a Nobel Prize winner.

His early life was marked by tragedy, losing his parents, sister, and grandfather by age six, after which his grandmother cared for him and his brother.

In the essay "How to Grow Old," Russell gives the reader advice on growing old (but it's really more on "how not to grow old").

"No ... no .. ." Jacques said softly. "None of us knew. Only one knew--a friend of his named Joseph ... It was a secret, I think, just between those two."The author of "A Secret for Two," Quentin James Reynolds, was an American journalist and World War II war correspondent. As an associate editor at Collier's Weekly from 1933 to 1945, Reynolds averaged 20 articles a year. He also published 25 books.

Uncle Basil had heard all the words they called him because he wasn't as deaf as he made out. He knew he was a mangy, stingy, penny-pinching screw, scrimp, scraper, pinchfist, hoarder, and curmudgeon (just to start with). There were other words, less gentle, he'd also heard himself called. He didn't mind. What galled him was the oft repeated warning, "You can't take it with you." After all, it was all his.

Eva-Lis Wuorio' s work was principally for children and young adults. “You Can’t Take It With You” is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the idea that material wealth is ultimately transient. It is from a collection of short stories called Escape If You Can.

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer, contributing significantly to science fiction and popular science literature. He wrote or edited about 500 books, including the renowned Foundation and robot series. His story "Nightfall" (1941) is considered one of the greatest science fiction short stories. Asimov's work on the Three Laws of Robotics greatly influenced the portrayal of robots in literature.

Despite its brevity, "The Fun They Had" packs a punch. This science fiction story is about the school experience of two children, Margie and Tommy, living in 2155. Tommy has "found a real book!" The children are fascinated with the find.

He was wild and lost to the world as he painted, his only thought was to complete a perfect likeness of his beautiful young wife to be captured for eternity.

"The Oval Portrait" was one of Poe's briefest stories in the genres of mystery and the macabre.

Link to podcast episode 4:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4WaBJLJ4oLCkq2mFot8jEv

https://aliterarycornucopia.wordpress.com/2025/03/10/episode-124-edgar-allan-poe-and-the-oval-portrait/

Ernest Hemingway was an influential American novelist and short-story writer, born on July 21, 1899, in Cicero, Illinois, and died on July 2, 1961, in Ketchum, Idaho. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, recognized for his impactful prose style and adventurous life. Hemingway's writing is noted for its intense masculinity and concise, lucid prose, which significantly influenced 20th-century American and British fiction. "The Old Man at the Bridge" is a prime example of his narrative style.

Toni Morrison was a celebrated American writer known for her exploration of the Black experience, particularly the Black female experience. She became the first Black female writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (1993).

The short story “Sweetness” was originally published inThe New Yorkerin February 2015. It became the opening chapter of her novelGod Help the Child. The story is narrated in the first person by a woman named Sweetness, reflecting on her relationship with her daughter, Lula Ann.