Approached from a variety of perspectives, the first nine articles in this special journal issue focus on teaching the short story. Specific topics discussed in the articles are (1) the AIM game as a prereading strategy for teaching the short story, (2) short story readers and writers as partners in the act of artistic communication, (3) oral interpretation in the fiction class, (4) using value analysis to teach William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," (5) teaching Ray Bradbury's "There will Come Soft Rains," (6) short stories as writing models, (7) using the title as a clue to the theme when teaching middle school students, (8) teaching the short story in prison, and (9) the need for a critical approach to the the fiction class, and (9) the need for a critical approach to the short story in elementary school. The final article in the journal discusses the literature of Illinois. (FL)