The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we look at short stories from many of our most accomplished writers. Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say. In this volume we examine some of the short stories of Louisa May Alcott. Many great writers are defined and remembered by one piece of work; one novel or poem that embeds itself in Society. For Louisa May Alcott it was Little Women - enjoyed by every generation since its publication. Born in 1832 in Germantown Pennsylvania into a poor family she received part of her education from family friends such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. These early influences on the young Louisa together with her early life provided much of the material for her later novels. She was also a poet and a short story writer. Here we have gathered together some of those stories which present her in a very different light. This is a chance to explore her take on other subjects in a different discipline. All of these stories are also available as an audiobook from our sister company Word Of Mouth. Many samples are at our youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/PortablePoetry?feature=mhee The full volume can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon and other digital stores. They are read for you by Patricia Rodriguez, Richard Mitchley & Ghizela Rowe