51 pages • 1 hour read
ZZ PackerDrinking Coffee Elsewhere
Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
ZZ Packer set most of the stories in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere in the 1990s. Do you think they are still relevant? Why or why not? Do you think there are any aspects of the stories that have not aged well?
What does the phrase “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” refer to in the book? Why do you think the author chose “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” as the title story for the collection? What is the significance of that story?
The protagonists of “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” and “Geese” are both young black women named Dina, but the text never explains whether they are the same character, and there are no other characters who cross over between stories. Compare and contrast the two Dinas. Do you think they are the same person? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your response.
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