How Stories Mean gathers together criticism and theory written by short story writers themselves. Several of the essays were newly written for this book. The essays document the establishment and growth of the story form in Canada over the last twenty-five years but the collection is far more than archival. It offers endless insights into how writers write and how they wish to be read. In discussing the nuts and bolts of their craft, the writers are inviting us into their workshops so that we can see how stories are made and come to a more intimate understanding of them. How Stories Mean is the one indispensable book for all those interested in the short story in Canada.Contributors include: Margaret Atwood; Clark Blaise; George Bowering; Keath Fraser; Mavis Gallant; Jack Hodgins; Hugh Hood; Norman Levine; John Metcalf; Alice Munro; Leon Rooke; Carol Shields; Ray Smith; Audrey Thomas and Kent Thompson.