What does it mean to know an author? How might our reading of a story change when we consider it within the author’s body of work? Can we apply an author’s techniques, style, and obsessions to our own fiction without sacrificing originality? In this course, we will read four canonical Joy Williams stories and discuss what makes these texts riveting, beautiful, and profound. We will analyze Williams’s approach to narrative, characterization, dialogue, setting, and the passage of time, allowing her craftsmanship to inform our own works-in-progress.