We Will Teach You How to Read

"We Will Teach You How to Read" (stylized as "We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read") is a science fiction short story by Caroline M. Yoachim. It was first published in Lightspeed, in May 2024.

Synopsis

Rather than being a standard narrative, "We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read" is presented as a message from an alien intelligence whose thought processes involve a significantly greater degree of parallel processing than those of humans, and whose lifespan is orders of magnitude less than that of humans; thus, as an essential part of communication, the alien intelligence must teach humans to read in a new way.

Reception

"We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read" is a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 2024,^[1] the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Short Story,^[2] and the 2025 Eugie Award.^[3]

Locus described it as "well worth spending some time with".^[4]