McCorkle is a Southern writer. All of her novels and short stories are set in or around the fictional town of Fulton, North Carolina. What landscape have you grown up in? How would you describe it to others, both those who are familiar and those who are unfamiliar with the place where you grew up? Write a story, create a movie, or record a podcast to evoke that landscape and its people.

Depression is a serious illness that can be debilitating. Research the history, symptoms, and treatments for depression. How is depression represented in this story? Write a short research paper about what you learn.

A good title points to the central idea or subject of a story. Form a small group with a couple other students, and discuss the title's various meanings for this story, as it connects both to the...