Clay (short story) Clay (short story) "Clay" is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection "Dubliners." It is important to note that due to this short story being left intentionally vague by its author, there can be numerous interpretations on what occurs in the story and the analysis of it. Maria, an elderly woman with a job in a rescue mission for wayward women, is looking forward to a holiday evening at the house of Joe, whom she nursed when he was a boy and of whom she is still very fond. She departs for Joe's after attending a
For the Birds (short story) For the Birds (short story) "For the Birds" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The editor of a proposed fashion magazine wanted a science fiction story about a clothing designer. Asimov agreed, and wrote the story in November 1978. It was accepted, but the proposed magazine never appeared, and Asimov sold the story to "Asimov's Science Fiction". "For the Birds" was published in the May 1980 issue of "Asimov's", and was reprinted in the 1983 collection "The Winds of Change and Other Stories". The story was one of three Asimov wrote in the late 1970s set among