188. Who's there?

"Wind from the Sea" (1948) by Andrew Wyeth

What do you think about the authors “knock-knock” (188) dream and the story it tells?

194A. Your urn

"Blue and White Covered Urn" by James Whistler

Darlene gives the narrator an urn that includes the narrator's wedding ring and the ashes of some of the women's magazines they stole from the clinic where she got her mammograms. The gift marks the ceremonial ending of a trying time in the narrator's life, a "remnant of a horrible, no good, very bad year."

The narrator also leaves her "Anti-Joke" book in the waiting room, too, as a kind of legacy or a way to "pay-it-forward" to other women who may face some of the same challenges she has faced.

To complete this prompt, create a ceremonial way to move forward from a phase that you are currently moving out of or on from--either your high school years, your first year of college, your summer, a relationship, a job, or something else.  You might choose to burn a small thing that symbolizes the phase you are leaving--such as something you've written down about the experience (do so safely!)  You may also choose to make a contribution to someone else who might follow in your wake.

Your assignment is to report on the experience after completing it. You may or may not include details about what you are moving on from (you may keep that to yourself). Describe whether you found the experience to be memorable or helpful in any way and why.

194B. Behind the curtain

"Woman at a Window" (1822) by Caspar David Friedrich

Now that you've finished reading the novel, reflect on one or more of these questions:

Why do you think Yee chose:

1) to never reveal the main character’s name?

2) to not divide the book into chapters?

3) to make it clear the main character’s marriage is over within the first twenty pages of the book only to have the main character then spend a large portion of the remaining text reflecting upon (and thereby sharing) details about her relationship to Sam?

4) to pay relatively limited attention paid to the surgery?

An Image: Maggie

Above: the cover of the UK edition of the novel

Each of the question sets posted for the 2026 Summer Read is accompanied by an image, usually a painting, but in at least two cases, a short video.

Identify one of these images that was most thought-provoking for you, either because of the mysteries of the image itself or because how it appears to relate (or doesn't relate?) to the question set that it accompanies.

Identify the image by its title, its creater, and the question it is associated (include the page number) and explain why you found it to be thought-provoking. There is no minimum word count for this assignment but don't limit yourself to the bare minimum.

The word count does not count toward your overall total for this assignment.

The author would like to know . . .

Katie Yee has been reading these questions and your answers in anticipation of her approaching visit to ECU, and when I asked her if she'd be willing to pose a question or two herself, she said "sure."

Here they are:

Was there any element of this story or aspect of craft that you want to try in your own writing?

Has this book made you think differently about anything in your areas of study? Something about writing craft or philosophy or gender studies or a film you saw recently—anything!

Takeaway: Maggie

So you've read Maggie; or a Man and Woman Walk into a Bar now. In 100 words or fewer, identify the part of the book that is most likely to stick with you the longest. What's your take away? (These 100 words do not count as part of your 750-word total.)

Don't answer this question until you've finished reading the entire book. Claiming to have read the book without having done so would be dishonorable. Far better to take a late penalty than to sacrifice your integrity for a grade. Owning your life choices can be the first step to enlightenment.

Tip of the Hat: Maggie

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

Reflect back on the comments other readers have posted on this website. Identify the one (or two?) that you found to be the most thought-provoking (identify the post title, the name of the author of the comment, and briefly summarize what they said) and explain how they got you thinking. This required answer is not a part of your word count.