Every story has a subtext–a story within the story. Sometimes there are several, and often subtext reveals more than the story itself. How do we know? The details give us hints and our imaginations fill in the rest. Want an example? Follow the link and ask yourself–how the good sisters know what they know about which way a penis should point? What other layers of story are implied by this clever bit of...

Overheard in the grocery store. Younger child: “My cat doesn’t like that.” Older child: “How do you know?” “He told me.” “Cats don’t talk,” “They do in stories.” Indeed! Every story has an other-worldly, magical quality where anything can happen. What if . . . cats could talk? What if . . . I were braver, smarter, funnier? What if . . . What if . . . What if . ....