The journalism mantra, "If it bleeds, it leads," implies that tragedy gets more media attention than any other lead for a story. In class, we will discuss all four novellas from Stephen King's novella collection, IF IT BLEEDS. Amazon's description of the book tells us that in the title novella, fan favorite Holly Gibney must face her fears, and possibly another outsider—without the aid of her mentor. In “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” an intergenerational friendship has a disturbing afterlife. “The Life of Chuck” explores, beautifully, how complex all people are. "Rat" is about a struggling writer who must contend with the darker side of ambition. Required reading: IF IT BLEEDS, by Stephen King. A copy fee of $2 will be due to the instructor the first week of classes.