Think of this class not as “for beginners” but, rather, as about beginning.Throughout the quarter we will explore many ways of
approaching the task of writing (and reading) the short story in hopes of beginning to recognize and/or refine your own unique voice—arguably, one of the most important steps in a writing career—and to better recognize and describe the voices you read.

The course will develop over 3 phases: in the first, you will immerse yourself in the literary short story form by reading a lot and practice using a critical vocabulary for discussion, as well as complete writing exercises to practice craft (various uses of the tools and materials stories are built with); in the second, you will create a first draft of your own short story and workshop the stories of your peers; and in the third, you will revise your own work to complete a final draft of your short story to handed in for a grade at the end of the quarter.Throughout the course there will be short readings on craft for you to read and writing exercises for you to complete in addition to the short stories discussed in class that week.



The required text is:

The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, 2nd Edition


Reading list:

Some of the stories we'll be reading from the anthology and available online will include works from David Foster Wallace, Lorrie Moore, Raymond Carver, Junot Diaz, and Denis Johnson.