(Morning and Afternoon Session!)
We’ve all read short stories that seem to live inside us after we finish them. What makes them special? What gives them their power? How are the best pieces distilled, rather than simply “short”? Over the seven weeks of this workshop, you will explore the answers to these questions and will learn secrets of the craft alongside a short-story master.
Critically-acclaimed short-story writer, teacher and editor David Ryan leads this workshop. Each week, he will provide prompts and examples that help writers work with and understand concepts essential to creating powerful stories on the page. Through an exploration of compression, arc, language, imagery, metaphor, and the nuanced yet profound reversals a short form can produce, you will discover how a few words can resonate long after they’ve been written and read.
Each week, you will write, share and discuss your stories. The goal is to create publishable work.
David is the winner of two O. Henry Awards. His work has appeared in The Threepenny Review, Harvard Review, New England Review, Kenyon Review, Chicago Quarterly, The Georgia Review, The Florida Review, Conjunctions, Fence, Cincinnati Review, Esquire, Tin House, and elsewhere. Kirkus reviews called David’s story collection Animals in Motion one of the best debut story collections in recent memory.
In addition to teaching at the Fairfield County Writers’ Studio, David teaches in the graduate writing programs at Sarah Lawrence College and New England College and is an Artistic Fellow with the Connecticut Office of the Arts. He is co-founder of the literary journal Post Road.
The morning workshop may be taken in-person at the Fairfield County Writers’ Studio in Fairfield, CT, or on Zoom. The afternoon workshop is offered on Zoom only.