174: “In the Heart of the Heart of the Country” by William H Gass

About this episode

This episode discusses William H Gass's story 'In the Heart of the Heart of the Country' and explores its poetic structure and narrative elements.

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “In the Heart of the Heart of the Country” by William H Gass (starts page 172, click “borrow”). What can we learn from this vibrant, poetic story with an unusual structure? Is there a narrative arc? How can we shape our own stories? How do we develop and connect poetic images?

Topics covered

• literature
• poetry
• storytelling
• narrative structure
• creative writing

Keywords

• William H Gass
• In the Heart of the Heart of the Country
• poetic images
• narrative arc
• story development

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: In the Heart of the Heart of the Country

More episodes of Why Is This Good?

• 177: “2BR02B” by Kurt Vonnegut · June 1, 2026 · 25 min
• 176: “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty · May 15, 2026 · 24 min
• 175: “Foster” by Claire Keegan · May 1, 2026 · 26 min
• 173: “Teenage Wasteland” by Anne Tyler · April 1, 2026 · 24 min
• 172: “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant · March 15, 2026 · 36 min
• 171: The Wedding Party by Taylor Koekkoek · March 1, 2026 · 27 min