Welcome to the mysterious, miniature world of flash fiction! In this class, you’ll craft sparkling narratives in under 1000 words—and sometimes in no more than one sentence! Flash fiction offers an ideal avenue for both beginning and experienced writers to explore the infinite possibilities of prose, and a perfect microcosm in which to discover and tinker with the raw ingredients of story.
To inspire you, we’ll dive into both classic and contemporary works from around the world—with writers such as Lydia Davis, Yasunari Kawabata, Judith Schalansky, Italo Calvino, and Yoko Ono—and decipher the hidden techniques that give them their power. Then, each day, we'll practice writing exercises (modeled on these stories) that spark creativity and sharpen craft. With the help of supportive peer feedback, we'll each leave the course with our own collection of original and arresting flash fiction.
Noah Weisz has an M.F.A. in Fiction from the University of Texas at Austin and has been teaching creative writing for nearly a decade. A past winner of the F(r)iction Short Story Contest and the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award, his short stories have been widely published in literary magazines.
